Victor of the Moon
by CardinalRosewood
Summary: An existence that should never have been. Hakuno Kishinami enters the Moon Cell Holy Grail War with no memories and must find his way through this strange world he has found himself in. What awaits him? Retelling/novelization of Extella/Zero, the modified Nero route of Fate/Extra that leads into Fate/Extella. This is my first story. Warning: Male!Hakuno and possibly OOC characters.
1. Idle Days End

Chapter 1: Idle Days End

My name is Hakuno Kishinami, a 2nd-year male student at Tsukimihara Academy. At least, that's who I thought I was.

My day started the same way as it always did, with the same dream of a broken and burned landscape. It had pretty much become routine for me at this point. The images of collapsed buildings and fires burning in the distance haunted my dreams. The same speech over and over again, every time  
I drifted off to sleep. I spoke with Sakura Matou, the little sister of my friend Shinji, who worked in the Nurse's Office, but she wasn't able to help all that much.

I suddenly realized that I was standing outside of school. I didn't even remember leaving my house that morning. Outside the front gate was Issei Ryuudou, the Student Council President, dressed in the special black uniform worn by student council members.

"Ah, Hakuno, good to see you. I've been tasked with performing inspections to ensure that all students comply with school rules. This will only take a moment."

A wave of nausea bombarded my brain. It felt like my skull was about to burst. I mumbled out an apology to Issei before running past him. I didn't know if it was the splitting headache, but it sounded like Issei was still talking. I ignored him and made my way inside the school. I barely stepped inside before I found Sakura by the shoe lockers acting strangely. She was lying on the ground, mumbling something that I couldn't quite hear. I looked around at all of the others standing nearby and noticed everyone was ignoring her. I knelt beside her and held her in my arms, checking her over for any injuries.

"Are you all right?"

"Ah, Kishinami-senpai… you can see me? Even when everyone else, including the student council members, are ignoring me, you can see me?"

She paused and looked up at me with a confused look on her face. Her face flashed between confused and happy as I held her in my arms and supported her weight. I used all the strength I had and helped her get back on her feet. I placed her arms over my shoulders and carried her on my back toward the Nurse's Office and put her down on one of the beds.

"If you aren't feeling well then you should go home Sakura. I would hate to see you collapse from exhaustion."

Being Shinji's sister must be hard on her and while I considered him as a friend, he could be unnecessarily harsh to Sakura sometimes.

"No! I want to be here. Thank you for worrying about me Senpai. How may I help you?"

When she asked me that, I remembered why I had come here originally. I told her that I had experienced sharp pain and nausea while coming to school. Before she could say anything, the morning bell rang, which meant that I had to go to class now. As I went to leave, Sakura stopped me.

"Senpai, if you can, please come to the Nurse's Office later today if you feel sick again. I will always be waiting here for you."

"Thank you, Sakura."

I stepped out into the hallway and quickly made my way to class on the second floor. I got to class barely as our teacher, Taiga Fujimura, walked in shortly after me. She was dressed strangely because she wore a nun's habit, but her beautiful looks and gentle disposition were welcomed by the students. From there, the day was pretty normal. My headache from this morning had dialed back a little, but I still felt a bit sick.

After class, I went back downstairs to the Nurse's Office and spoke with Sakura again. There wasn't much she could do for me other than to give me some medicine and let me lay down on one of the soft beds.

"Senpai, if you could wish for anything, what would you wish for?"

Sakura asked me this out of the blue. Wish, like what do I want? I wasn't sure how to answer her question. There wasn't anything that I wanted.

"I don't know. What would you wish for?"

A look of sadness flashed across her face before she answered.

"If I could, I wish I could spend more just time talking with Senpai."

"We're talking right now, aren't we? It's not like I'm going away anywhere. I'm here if you need me, Sakura. We still have one more year together in this school, after all."

After that, we talked about various things like our favorite color, favorite food, and many other things. It felt like this was the first time we had talked for a long time. I was worried that I was boring Sakura, but she seemed to be taking in everything that I was saying, so I guess it was okay.

The noon bell rang which meant that I had to leave again. I promised Sakura that I would come back and talk to her in the evening when school got out. She smiled and waved, but I noticed the smile didn't seem to reach her eyes as I left again.

The noon class was absolute hell. The new teacher, Souichirou Kuzuki, seemed hellbent on making his students suffer. I had met him a few days ago when he came out of the Faculty Office. I still remember the dead look in his eyes as he looked at me as if determining my value as a human being. His dark hair, dark eyes, and black coat all helped to give off a feeling of unease. The only one who he seemed to have any lenience to was Leo, maybe because he was a new student. I somehow managed to make it through class and went upstairs to clear my head on the school's rooftop.

Before I could head up the stairs, I was stopped by one of the 3rd year student council members who asked me to help find the substitute teacher, Jinako Carigiri. I sighed and went back downstairs to where I knew she was. Back on the first floor, the janitor's closet was in a secluded corner at the end of the hallway. I knocked on the door.

"Ms. Jinako, are you in there?"

Nothing. Not even the slightest sound.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the key that I had been given by Issei earlier in the week. I unlocked the door and went inside the janitor's closet. Just as I expected, there she was sleeping on a makeshift bed with a pile of junk food and wrappers nearby as monitors flashed on a nearby table. Looking over I could see the words "Congratulations" and "Thanks for Playing". Her long, brown hair was splayed out and her clothing was disheveled, showing some of her pale skin and parts of her undergarments.

I knelt beside the makeshift bed and nudged Jinako until she woke up. She yawned and stretched a little before realizing that I was here.

"Kishinami! What are you doing here? Don't you know it's blasphemy to enter the sanctity of a girl's room."

"Ms. Jinako, this is the janitor's closet and I'm here to tell you that you have to go to class and teach."

"W-what? Please don't tell me you're serious. Do you think that a shut-in like myself can go out and teach fresh, young minds? Please don't make me go, Kishinami!"

I found it hard to believe that this 29-year-old woman, 25 if you asked her, could honestly beg one of her students like this. But, still feeling sick and also feeling sorry for her, I told her that I would come up with an excuse for her.

"Thanks, Kishinami, you're a good person! Here, take these snacks as payment and feel free to come and hang out with me if you ever feel like lazing around!"

She handed me a couple of bags of chips before pushing me out of the room, despite her small frame. Snacks in hand, I went back upstairs and told the 3rd year student that they had a free period because Ms. Jinako wasn't feeling well. She looked at me briefly before nodding and going back to tell the rest of her class.

Finally reaching my original goal I sat down against the fence that enclosed the rooftop. I opened one of the bags of chips that Jinako had given me and began eating them. I must've drifted off a bit because I noticed the sound of someone coughing and turned to see someone sitting next to me.

"Geez, you need to start paying attention. If this wasn't the prelims, you'd probably be dead already."

Sitting beside me, in a bright red sweater and black skirt, was Rin Tohsaka, one of the two beauties of Tsukimihara Academy. She consistent got top grades in school and was popular as well. She and another girl, Rani, were called the "Two Beauties of Tsukimihara", a title that I and many others felt was appropriate when describing the two. I choke a little bit on my chips and coughed.

"W-what are you doing?"

"I was enjoying my afternoon, but somebody decided to come and ruin my quiet solitude with his loud chewing."

She was talking about me. Awkward.

"Sorry, I'll be leaving now."

"Ah, wait…"

Before she could say anything else, I bolted back downstairs. I could feel my face grow hot, whether it was from embarrassment or something else, I wasn't sure. Thankfully, the evening bell rang which meant that class would start, giving me an escape. That was before I realized that Jinako was supposed to teach in the afternoon and after waiting for fifteen minutes everyone decided that it was okay to leave.

Remembering my promise to Sakura, I made my way down to the first floor. The light from the windows bathed the hallway in an orange glow. I turned to go see Sakura until I noticed Leo and another student walking down the opposite way toward the janitor's closet. The same wave of nausea hit me again, but this time it was accompanied by a loud static sound buzzing in my ears. Part of me wanted to hurry and go to the Nurse's Office, but another part of me told me to go and follow those two.

Against my better judgment, I followed the two down the hallway and stood back as Leo spoke.

"To be honest, I quite enjoyed my time as a student at this school. It was an experience that I had never encountered up until now. But alas, the time for such pleasantries is over. I did not come here to play "school". I hope to see you again soon."

He glanced toward me as he finished talking before walking into the wall where the door to the janitor's closet was. The other student didn't seem to notice me before he too went into the wall. I followed soon after placing my hand against the wall and falling through to a room that I didn't recognize. Standing before a hole in the wall in front of me was a strange effigy that was covered in glowing red lines. The effigy was vaguely humanoid but lacked any facial features and resembled a doll. It suddenly stood at attention and bowed to me. The hole in the wall almost seemed like it was calling to me and I walked forward to pass through it, the effigy falling in line behind me.

I found myself in an endless void, the only light coming from the square panels on the floor. I walked forward faster and as I did, the void seemed to be filling in more and more with detail as I found myself standing in a strange place. The first thing that came to mind was "dungeon". It looked like something from one of Jinako's games. The whole place felt wrong like something could jump out at me at any moment. Looking passed the glowing blue walls, I could see what appeared to be bones and other skeletal structures floating in a deep, dark ocean.

I made my way through the "dungeon" as I had called it. I was attacked multiple times by floating orbs, but my effigy protected me against them, quickly dispatching them with punches and kicks. At the end of the "dungeon" was a large swirling dome of blue light, and with nowhere else to go, I walked into it. I found myself standing on a large, ornate, circular pillar in the distance was a single stained-glass window that was several times larger than myself.

I looked to my side and noticed the student who had followed Leo in before me.

"Hey, are you alright? Say something!"

He didn't respond and when I went to shake him awake, he felt stone cold. Dead, that was the first thing that popped into my mind. I didn't have time to think before the effigy that knelt by his body stood up and made its way toward me. It attacked without warning and as my effigy fought it, I could tell that it was a lost cause. My effigy was quickly dispatched and since I was now defenseless, the remaining effigy struck me with a powerful blow that sent me sprawling to the ground.

As I lay there dying, I now noticed the many other bodies that littered the ground. How many had died in this place?

"I suppose that's it then. With your defeat, I will close the preliminary round now. I pray that you find peace with your demise."

A voice that I didn't recognize spoke. Demise? Does that mean I'm going to die? Hell no! I summoned all of the strength that was left in my body and tried to get back up. Nothing, not a single muscle moved. I had nothing left in me.

Even so, I refuse to give up and die!

"Umu! Indeed! You must embrace your fear of death and fight on regardless of what fate may await you. Well spoke nameless traveler. Even if the world will never hear of your desire, know that I admire and respect it! Close your hands into fists and raise your head! Your end has yet to come! Your destiny begins now!"

A woman's voice reached my ears, followed by the sound of shattering glass. In the center of the room was a single ray of light shining down from above. Standing in the light was a young woman clad in a crimson dress, blond hair tied in a bun. She walked toward me and stood dignified as she looked at me. The aura that she gave off was strong and warm to me, like a flame. I could feel my body becoming filled with that same warmth as I sat up and looked back at the crimson dressed woman. Even though we both looked human, there was a clear difference between me and her.

"Now then, I shall ask you once more. Answer me. Are you my Master?"

"Yes."

Even though I was confused at the appearance of this otherworldly being before me, I was in no position to refuse another person's help right now.

"Your words are few but beautiful. I like that. I won't ask you how privileged you feel for summoning me. All right, I give my blessing! I will bestow upon you the honor of being my Master."

She grabs my hand and helps me up onto my feet. A sharp, burning pain erupts in my hand the moment she lets go of it. I look to see a crimson symbol tattooed to the back of my left hand. I don't even have time to say anything before I hearing a loud creaking sound behind me. The effigy that had powered down after my "death" stood back up and turned to face me. I flinched, remembering how it had nearly killed me just a few minutes ago. The woman walks in front of me.

"What an excitable Master I have. Why are you so flustered? While I am by your side, you need not have fears that you may lose your way. Remember that victory is all that matters. My blade is the ultimate instrument! Even the muses themselves would bow before the sound it makes. Master, strike with my sword. Show me the extent of your abilities in this battle!"

The woman, much smaller than myself, summons a crimson blade and gracefully flourishing it in her hands. The effigy charges toward us and somehow, I know what moves it will make before it does. Something inside me was telling me how to defeat this murderous doll.

"It's going to strike first, so block it!"

The effigy moved as predicted as the woman blocked its arm with her sword and countered it by thrusting her blade into the effigy's body. Before it could do anything else, she slashed at it again and got another hit in before I gave her another command.

"It's going to try and block next!"

The woman responded by spinning around and using all of her might to break through the effigy's defenses. Noticing an opening, the woman jumped into the air and slammed her sword down into the effigy.

"Finish it off now!"

The woman's sword carved through the body of the effigy and it fell to its knees in defeat. The broken doll stopped moving, too damaged to do anything else. The woman makes a face before speaking.

"That wasn't entertaining at all. Considering how long I've waited for such a moment; I am truly unsatisfied."

The voice from before cuts in soon after.

"That mark on your hand is your Command Seal. It is proof that you are the Master of a Servant. You may use your Command Seal to issue three orders that must be obeyed. It is proof of your participation in the Holy Grail War. If you lose it for any reason, you will die. I know that you are confused but congratulations on making it here. Now that you have passed the preliminaries, you may rest. While it was just barely, you still managed to become a Master. Please continue to entertain as you struggle through the rest of your trials."

And now I hate this voice. It sounds like it belongs to some smug thirty-something man. The voice continues to speak, but the only thing that catches my attention is this "Holy Grail" that it keeps talking about. To obtain it, I must kill the other magi that stand in my way. Processing all of this information, I glance at the woman, my Servant, before I lose consciousness. But before I am completely gone, I hear one more thing.

"No matter the era, deciding who is worthy through battle is the divine providence of man. Magi who have been invited here by the Moon; show me your true strength."

**A/N:**

**So, there you go, Chapter 1 is done. This is my first story so if there is anything wrong, please be constructive. Once again, this is a retelling/novelization (I guess?) of Extella/Zero, the events that take place leading into Fate/Extella and Link. If you aren't familiar with it, it's a reworked Fate/Extra story that follows the Nero route while also including other elements that exist within the Extra-verse. Since I've only played Extra and Extella the story won't include events from CCC unless I decide to add that in later. The characters from CCC that are mentioned in this chapter are cameos since that game and the summary of Extella/Zero both state that the events of CCC take place after the fifth round. I apologize if the characters are a bit OOC because as I said, this is my first story. Also, this story focuses on male Hakuno because ninety percent of the fanfiction for this series is female Hakuno, but don't worry, she will appear later on in the story**

**Thanks for reading, see you next time.**


	2. Into the Storm Part I

Chapter 2: Into the Storm Part I

The next time I open my eyes, I'm staring at a familiar ceiling. I'm lying on a bed in the Nurse's Office, but it feels different than the one I am used to somehow. I hear a voice speak to me as I sit up.

"So, you're finally awake. I guess there are no limits to feebleness after all. While you were sleeping, I had naught to do but stare at you while you slept."

A flash of light appears and standing before is the same woman from before, my Servant.

"Umu. But now that you have awoken from your reprieve, the curtain can rise as we enter the Holy Grail War."

"What is the Holy Grail War, exactly? I keep hearing it mentioned, but I don't know anything about it."

My servant stares at me in disbelief.

"You know nothing of the Holy Grail War?! And yet you somehow managed to become a Master. While pitiful, ignorance is hardly a sin. I shall instruct you as I am able. Firstly, the Holy Grail is said to have held the blood of a savior and has the power to grant wishes. The original has been lost to time and all that remains are base counterfeits. Early on, the Holy Grail War was the name given to the ceremony magi held to gain the Grail. In truth, it was a bloody melee from which the sole survivor would be granted the Holy Grail. In simple terms, the tournament you're in is an approximation of the original Holy Grail War."

I'm having trouble wrapping my head around all of this. The Holy Grail, magi, it's all so hard to take in.

"You're hopeless. Here, to win is to live; to lose is to die. There is only one way to avoid death. The rules are simple. Two magi are assigned to fight each other using their Servants as weapons. The magus who loses to their opponent is stripped of both their Command Seals and their life. You will face a series of battle before you reach the Holy Grail- The details don't matter. There are several minor rules, but the most important one is: Win. Simple, is it not?"

Well, it's probably not as simple as that, but I do understand the basics of it now. Whether I want to be or not, I am a part of this Holy Grail War now.

"Indeed. As long as you understand the basics, that is enough for now. Now then, do you know what a Servant is?"

I shake my head. My Servant proceeds to speak to me with a look of disdain.

"You know nothing of Servants either?! It seems your ignorance is boundless. Servants are Legendary Souls called from the past to help Masters win in the Holy Grail War. Only those whose deeds are acknowledged long after their deaths become Legendary Souls. The Servants recreated here by the Holy Grail are drawn from those whose legends endure. Servants are soldiers, there to guide and protect the magus who summoned them. As per the rules of the original Holy Grail War, Servants are divided into seven classes. Originally, the classes of Legendary Souls were hidden, but things have changed over time. Saber. Lancer. Archer. Rider."

"…What were the others? Oh well, they aren't of any importance. Only the Saber-class matters. Also, the classes identify core skills only. Replicating every single skill would be impossible. A Legendary Soul's main traits are aligned with a class and then given form. It'd be safe to assume that an enemy Servant's class will give you clues about their powers. Furthermore, it is said that those of the Saber-class are far superior to other Servants."

"…So then, allow me to test your knowledge. I'm sure you know which class I belong to, yes?"

That one is easy. I can still remember the grace and power she wielded that crimson sword with when she saved my life.

"Saber."

"Correct. As the Saber-class is the best of the Servant classes, it's obvious that I'm a Saber. Yeas you have answered well. I can sense the promise and potential in you. Now then, from this time forward, you may refer to me as Saber. No honorifics are necessary. As you are my Master, I will allow you to address me as an equal."

Saber, that is my Servant's class. It seems like she has a difficult personality. But having saved my life and offering to see me through this Holy Grail War, I welcome her with open arms. But I don't think that she told me her name…

"My true name? I have nothing embarrassing to conceal and I'd be happy to tell you… Hmph. But it'd be a disaster if an enemy were to learn my true identity from you. But if my name were to be known, it wouldn't affect my resolve or approach to battle. I will share my name once I have learned a little more about you."

"…But I understand your unease at knowing nothing at all. Although I can't tell you my name, question not the truth of my words. And as for the Holy Grail- All I know is that it grants wishes and creates Servants using famous figures from history. With you as the magus and I as the mightiest of Legendary Souls by your side, the Holy Grail will be ours! For now, let that truth put your mind at ease. Allow my sword to clear away all of your doubts-"

Having said her final piece, Saber vanishes from sight, but I am still able to feel her presence. It's a lot of information to take in, so I decided to get up and walk around the room a bit to clear my mind. As I do the door opens and in walks Sakura with bags in her hands. She closes the door behind her and turns around to put down the bags that she is carrying before freezing in place the minute she sees me. The bags fall from her hands and she runs forward, wrapping her arms around me.

"Senpai! You're okay! I was so worried when you suddenly appeared in the Nurse's Office after the preliminaries were over. It must've been a result of the memory restoration; magi who enter the Holy Grail War have their memories suppressed and replaced with those of a student's life. But you're okay now right? Only Master's that have regained their memories are allowed to enter the Holy Grail War, after all!"

My memories? I close my eyes and think for a second, trying to recall anything from my life outside of Tsukimihara. Nothing. I can only remember my name and nothing else!

"Senpai, could it be that your memories weren't completely restored by the . ? You should go and see Father Kotomine as soon as possible!"

I nod before remembering something else.

"Sakura, are you a Master in the Holy Grail War too?"

"No, Senpai. I am just a run-of-the-mill NPC created by the Moon Cell to oversees the Nurse's Office. My last name was selected at random from the participants, so I was given the cover of Shinji Matou's sister, even though we are not related in any way."

"Oh, okay. Wait, why are you still calling me 'Senpai'? The preliminaries are over, right? You don't need to call me 'Senpai' anymore Sakura."

"No! I mean, Senpai is Senpai. Even if that time has passed, you will always be my Senpai."

Seeing how passionately she responded, I dropped the subject. Honestly, hearing that she still held those false memories with me in high enough regard to call me "Senpai" made me a little happy.

"You can keep calling me 'Senpai' then if that's you want Sakura. But I'd like it if you called me by my name too."

"That's- "

Sakura put her hands on her cheeks and turned away from me. I hope I didn't make her uncomfortable. I suddenly remember that we are not alone in this room when my unseen Servant makes a disgruntled noise.

"Master, as much as I am one for wooing the hearts of beautiful maidens, we have more pressing matters to attend to."

Sorry Saber. I say goodbye to Sakura and before I leave, she hands me a portable terminal for receiving messages from the SERAPH and accessing other data. I thank her and head outside to find this Father Kotomine. I spend a good amount of time searching for him everywhere I can think to look from the gardens to the archery range but I can't find seem to find Father Kotomine anywhere.

Eventually, my search brings me up to the roof. I don't see him, but I do notice a familiar red sweater and see that Rin is standing at the edge of the rooftop, looking outward. That's when I notice that the skies were not as clear as they were during the preliminaries. Instead, it seems that since the SERAPH no longer had anything to hide, it didn't care much for the appearances anymore. Ones and zeroes blanketed the sky as far as the eye could see, constantly shifting and changing values. It's strangely beautiful.

I walk up to Rin, who seems to be inspecting the surrounding area.

"I've searched this entire school from top to bottom, but here's nothing unique about it."

She no longer resembles the school idol back during the preliminaries. The defiant look in her eyes and her overall attitude had shifted now that the Holy Grail War had begun. It just now hits me that everyone else in this school is out for blood, and if I'm not careful, I could be the one to go. She turns around and sees me, her expression softening as a small smile begins to form.

"…Huh? Hey, you over there. I remember you from before. I didn't get the chance to check out any of the NPCs during the preliminaries. I have a perfect idea, just stay still."

She gets up close to me and begins felling up my body with her hands. They are soft and warm, the complete opposite of her earlier look of determination. Her face is only a few centimeters away from mine now and I can't help but feel my face heat up as my heart starts racing.

"Huh, your cheeks are flush and your body is well built too. You look and feel real. Maybe more real than most people. …What are you laughing at? It's advantageous for us to look into every little detail, even the NPCs…"

She looks behind her and scowls, no doubt talking with her Servant who is also invisible. I'm grateful for the interruption as I take a few steps back and calm my beating heart.

"What do you mean he's a Master too? A Master should be more…"

She shrieks and her face becomes as red as mine.

"That means I felt up… Shut up! I can make mistakes too, you know! Don't call me a pervert! Anyway, this is your fault too for being confusing. You are way too bland to be anything but an NPC. Nothing but a blank look on your face, even now. Were the prelims too boring to jog your memories?"

"Um, I haven't gotten my memories back yet, so…"

"Your memories still haven't returned? That's… not good. Once you enter the Holy Grail War, the only way out is to win. Regardless of your circumstances, you still have to fight. Oh well, it doesn't matter. You'll be defeated in the Holy Grail War soon enough.

"Umu. An impudent blow, but it piques my interest. You will be an intriguing foe, should you have the courage. Those are fighting words, Master. When we meet her in battle, I will give her my answer to them."

My Servant seems rather gung-ho about this whole thing. But if I'm being honest, so am I. Rin's words gnaw at my heart. I have to win. Knowing what's at stake if I lose, I must win.

"…Well, I guess I pity you. You don't look like you're cut out for fighting. Without your memories, you're pretty much just going with the flow. Everything must feel like a dream to you. You won't be able to win if you're so disoriented."

What she's saying is so true that it hurts. I have no idea what is going on really or why I am here. All I know is that I am a Master in this Holy Grail War and that I must fight and kill others or die. The thought of not knowing terrifies me.

Time flies by as evening comes. It feels a little strange to be inside of the classroom now that I know everything was implanted into my mind by the SERAPH. I spent the afternoon in the Nurse's Office with Sakura. We didn't do much other than talk since no one seemed to come into the Nurse's Office as much since the Holy Grail War began. I leave the classroom and head back downstairs to the first floor. To my surprise, there is a dark-haired man dressed in a priest's garb; this must be Fatter Kotomine.

"Congratulations. You have been deemed worthy to be a participant in the Holy Grail War. You may call me Father Kotomine. I am an NPC assigned the task of supervising the Holy Grail War. As of today, you and your fellow magi have been given the honor of fighting in the Arena up ahead. The war is run as an elimination tournament, with the Grail being awarded to the last person standing. In other words, the participating Masters will kill each other until there is only one person left. Simple enough to understand, yes? Even a complete idiot should be able to understand the rules. Masters get a six-day preparation period before Elimination Battles, which occurs on the seventh day. I'd advise you use the time given to devising the most efficient means of slaughtering your foe. On the seventh day, you and your foe will fight. The winner lives and the loser is… deleted. As for how to prepare, I cannot help you. Do whatever you feel necessary."

"Who is my first opponent?"

I don't think I received and any notifications about who I would be facing in the first round.

"Strange. There seems to be a system error. I will locate your opponent by tomorrow. One last thing… Masters that continue to advance will be given a private room. Your room will be located in classroom 2-B. Please enter this password into your terminal. Well, the time for conversation has come to an end. The door ahead leads to the Arena. For today, concentrate on becoming accustomed to the inner workings of the Arena. The Arena entrance uses the same door you went through during the preliminaries. Good Luck."

With that, the priest turned away from me and walked away. I noticed Ms. Fujimura standing near the staircase and decided to go talk to her.

"Oh, Hakuno, would you be willing to do me a small favor? It seems that lost items are appearing inside of the Arena. If you can, please find a missing kendo sword while you are inside. I may not be here all the time but I will try to collect it during the first round. Thank you very much."

With nothing else to do, I make my way to the Arena entrance. My servant appears to speak with me before I can enter.

"Master, once you are only allowed to enter the Arena once per day. If you leave, you will not be able to enter until the next day. I recommend that you complete all your shopping and sate gathering before entering the Arena."

"Thanks for letting me know Saber, let's go in now."

"Umu. This will be our first taste of what's to come. Let us be off now Master, to the field of battle!"

I pull out my portable terminal and raise it to the wall., a series of beeping follows as a door appears. My Servant stares at me expectantly and I nod before entering into the Arena. As we step off a glowing diamond on the ground, I can see the familiar grid walls of the "dungeon" from before. So, this is the Arena. A message pops up on my portable terminal:

[First Chimeric Lunar Sea] [GREED AND LUST COMBINE TO BURST INTO BRILLIANCE. AND LEAD ONWARD TO THE SEPULCHER OF THE SEA.]

What does that mean? After the strange message plays again, something pops up on my terminal. It looks like a map of the Arena.

"Master, the Arena is a place where we are allowed to do battle whenever we fell the need to fight and train. Enemy programs created by the SERAPH roam the Arena, but fear them not while I am by your side!"

"…Since this will be your first time in the Arena proper, I recommend not going any further than that enemy there today. I expect favorable results."

I nod silently. The "enemy" Saber is talking about is a giant blue wasp that is the same size as my head. I think I just remembered that I don't like bugs, especially giant killer ones. Well, there's no reason to stand here waiting, so we dive deeper into the Arena. I pass by a Revival Fountain in the middle of one room, my terminal tells me that this is the only one in the entire Arena and it can heal my Servant and I if we get hurt, so I should use that as much as I can right now.

Our first enemy encounter is a program that resembles a floating cube that extends in and out like an accordion. My terminal tells me it's called a Klein. The second we walk close to it; it flashes red and flies right toward us. Saber intercepts it before it can strike at me as I stumble backward in surprise.

"Master, control yourself! As long as I am here, no harm will come to you!"

Thank you, Saber. I calm down a bit and try to focus on the enemy program. The same thing happens like before, it's as if the world slows down and I can see what's about to happen. The cube floats downward as Saber goes to block it with her sword.

"Saber, don't guard, attack it!"

The cube springs upward at an incredible speed, but Saber gracefully leans back and slashes at the cube, causing it to stagger. Saber sees the opening and quickly finishes it off with rapid strokes of her sword. The cube falls away slowly as it fades into data that gets absorbed into my portable terminal.

"Umu. Well done Master! Let us continue just like this."

What follows afterward is a similar string of battles with the Klein enemies as we traverse through the Arena. I manage to find some useful items inside of some Item Folders, some Ether Shards that I can use to heal Saber and some money. Nice. I try to make as much use out of the Healing Fountain I can to save my items. Saber and I run around defeating as many enemy programs as we can, they seem to respawn endlessly given enough time. Two hours have passed now and the Klein enemies no longer attack us on sight; I guess that means we've done enough for today. I head back toward the Arena entrance.

"Umu. Let us continue tomorrow."

When we go back to school, it's already night. Father Kotomine told me that my room was on the second floor next to my old classroom. I pull out my terminal and open the room. It just looks like an ordinary classroom. I sigh as I begin moving desks and chairs out of the way to make some space for sleeping. I guess hoping for a bed was a little too much. Saber seems to be more enthusiastic about this than I am though because when I turn around, she has set desks and chairs together and covered them in red cloth.

"Umu! What do you think Master? Humble may it be, but I have constructed a decent throne to sit upon."

"It's nice, Saber."

It is. It adds a bit of color to the plain walls of this classroom.

"On to more pressing matters then. I hate to tell you this, but I must. While we were in the Arena, I found I could not access my full power."

"What?!"

That's bad, isn't it?

"But, do not worry yourself. Having my original abilities available for use is not important. There is no shame in being a novice; in fact, the possibilities of what you may become are exciting. Tomorrow we'll make another effort in the Arena, and we'll improve together little by little. It's a trivial matter. As long as you have me, we'll keep going.

Saber tells me that it's okay, but I don't think so. I have to figure out what's wrong with me quick. For my sake and my Servant's. I lay down on the ground and close my eyes. Tonight is the first of many in this Holy Grail War. What will happen next?

The next morning, I wake up to the sound of my terminal beeping near my head.

[The next combatants will be announced on the second-floor bulletin board.]

I lazily get up and head outside into the hallway so I can go see who I'll be fighting. Other Masters are standing in front of the bulletin board as I walk up and get as close as I can to look at it. On the large sheet of paper are hundreds of names. I find mine and see mt name along with another. Shinji Matou. I hear him before I see him.

"So… you're my first opponent? I'm surprised you even managed to qualify. But I guess here, all things are possible. Hey, you might even be the most powerful magus here. We're at different levels even though we're friends. But still, I should congratulate you."

"-Hey, didn't you just barely squeak through the prelims? I guess you're a charity case. I guess being mediocre has its advantages. You get all of these handicaps and whatnot. Keep in mind that this tournament is all about true strength, so don't get too overconfident. And the guys who're running this are geniuses. Just look how intense the first round is. Come on, I mean forcing people to give up friendships to win? That's pretty insane."

"Oh, what a cruel mistress fate can be, right? Even me, the strongest Master here, is pained by this… Well, let's keep things clean, okay? It should be a good fight. After all, you're a Master, too. When we see each other again, it will be as enemies. Don't let our former friendship hold you back!"

With that, Shinji walks away. My first opponent is my friend. The rule is that the winner lives and the loser dies; if that's true, will I have to kill my friend?

**A/N:**

**Hey, Chapter 2 is done, yay! Joking aside, I'm surprised that people like this story. Thank you. I'm not sure what's going to happen going forward, but regardless, I will try to finish this story, hold me to that. Updates will happen irregularly and the word count will probably grow or drop whenever I feel like cutting off the story at an appropriate point. As for the CCC elements, I will try to hint at them where I can, but things will probably kick in after the fifth round. I think that right now, for explanations and significant interactions, I will be relying on the in-game text, but let me know if I should change that. Also, be prepared for a lot of line breaks, cause not a lot happens in the day to day life in Extra. Other than story updates and notes, I'll probably just talk about random things that you guys can feel free to ignore.**

**Thank you again for reading, see you next time!**

**Some questions:**

**Do you like Hakuno and Sakura's interactions?**

**Are the fight scenes okay; should I add more to them?**

**Do you think it's weird that Hakuno always starts the day in the classroom in the game when there's no reason to go there anymore?**

**Most importantly of all… Should I add more UMU, or is it "Umu" like I've been writing, let me know, please.**


	3. Into the Storm Part II

Chapter 3: Into the Storm Part II

The day passes into the evening without me noticing. I spent most of the day in the library researching some things. If I'm going to be participating in this Holy Grail War, I might as well learn as much as I can. It's also relaxing to sit and read instead of running around all the time. The book I'm reading is about Spiritron Hackers. Since the mana present on Earth has dried up and the world has become vastly different from previous generations, magi have also changed. The most talented of these new magi are called Wizards. All Spiritron Hackers are capable of manipulating code to use Codecasts, which are the modern form of magic spells replicated inside of digital spaces. So that means I should be able to do that too, right?

[The primary cipher key has been generated.]

My terminal beeps as I look at the new message. Key? That sounds important. I close my book and get up to look for Father Kotomine. Thankfully, he's just outside near the staircase.

"Father Kotomine, what's this key that my terminal is telling me about?"

"All Masters are required to obtain two cipher keys, or Triggers, by the time of the Elimination Battle. They function as keys to the Coliseum where you and your opponent will be facing each other to determine the winner. Failure to obtain one or more by the end of the allotted time will result in your disqualification and subsequent deletion. Please try not to die in such a pitiful way."

I honestly can't tell if he's being sincere or not, but I can tell that he's seems amused at the thought of me failing to gather both Triggers. Before I leave to go get the Trigger, he stops me.

"And young Master, one more thing. Since it's expected for Masters to encounter each other in the Arena, there is a rule in place to prevent too much chaos. If a fight breaks out, the system will intervene within three minutes and any continued aggression will result in a penalty from the SERAPH. Do be careful."

He waves me off and I head downstairs, where Shinji is standing there like he's waiting for me.

"Hey Hakuno, are you going to get the Trigger too? Same. Well, try not to get too roughed up, I hear the Arena is filled with all sorts of nasty programs. Thankfully, with my superior abilities and my amazing Servant, those small fries are nothing to me. Maybe you'd better wait until I beat all of those scary programs before you come in."

Shinji laughs and walks away toward the Arena. Saber appears beside me, obviously irritated.

"Hmph, that blue-haired rat needs to be beaten. His total lack of respect and maturity is truly disgusting! Master, let's follow after him. We will show him what happens to those who would dare to mock us!"

I nod my head and Saber vanishes from sight. If I'm going to go after Shinji, I'd better be prepared. I head down from the first floor to the Commissary. Here, Masters can buy items and Mystic Codes to use. Mystic Codes are special items that can be used to increase a magus's abilities and perform predetermined Codecasts. They can take the form of objects or clothing. Since I haven't had enough time the figure out how to use Codecasts I end up buying some items that will heal Saber when used and a Return Crystal, which will allow me to leave the Arena whenever I want.

Saber and I enter the Arena and already something feels different.

"Be careful Master. That rat and his Servant are both inside waiting for us. And remember, information is key to defeating any opponent. Try to learn as much as you can about our opponents as you can and we will be victorious."

"Alright Saber, let's go."

The enemy programs ignore as we run deeper into the Arena. It doesn't take long for us to see Shinji and his Servant standing there waiting.

"Look, Master, the rat, and his Servant are there. Let's not keep them waiting."

Standing beside Shinji is a tall woman dressed in red, a large scar across her face. She's dressed in a long coat white pants and black thigh-high boots. In her hands are two pistols, one arm holding a pistol against her shoulder and the other at her side. Shinji sees me and starts talking.

"Hakuno, what's up? You're so slow, man. I already got the Trigger before you even got here. Well, there's nothing to be ashamed of. It's only natural to lose to a genius like myself. Speaking of losing, have you seen my Servant? I'm going to win, not like it matters to me. Hey, feel free to start shooting whenever you want to, woman."

"Sure, sure. As long as you're finished gloating. I was having fun listening to all your mindless chatter. You there, boy, I apologize for my Master's. As you've already seen, he's an ass. I was hoping we could settle things peacefully."

"Hey, stop talking and shoot him already!"

"Heh, look at you, tough guy. Still, to want to kill your friend, I admire that evilness. I expect a hefty reward after this!"

Shinji's Servant raises one gun and fires right at me. Saber immediate swings her sword to deflect the bullet and rushes forward to strike at her. She easily doges and weaves her way between most of Saber's attacks only receiving minor injuries on her arms and legs. Saber is the same, only taking one clean hit in her shoulder before I quickly heal her with one of my items. They're both extremely fast and agile despite the cramped space of the Arena's walls. Shinji also seems surprised, and in this one moment, I can see an almost childlike excitement as he is watching this battle. The hallway we're in flashes red and a message plays on my terminal.

[Message from the SERAPH - Terminating hostilities]

Shinji and his Servant both back off immediately as the message plays.

"Damn it. The SERAPH is getting in the way. Well, it's not like I need the kill you now. I can take care of you whenever I want. Hey, if you get on your knees and beg I may share some of the prize money with you when I win."

Shinji's laughter fills the air as he and his Servant leave the Arena using a Return Crystal.

"It was foolish of him to show his hand for sport, but it is to our benefit, Master. His Servant uses projectile weapons, so her class could be Archer, but I'm not quite sure."

I nod as I take out my terminal and input some notes to look over later.

"This is how battles are won, Master. Every encounter that we have with our enemies is a valuable experience. Information is power in the Holy Grail War. The more you know about the enemy Servant, the easier it will be to develop a strategy to use against them."

"Right. Information is power; I'll remember that. Never mind that though. Are you okay Saber?"

"Umu. Your concern is praiseworthy, but worry not Master, I am fine. That rat's Servant was rather impressive, however. Her blows were powerful."

A battle between two Legendary Souls, huh. If the SERAPH. hadn't stepped in, what would've happened? I shake my head. I don't have time to think about stuff like that, I need to get the Trigger as soon as I can. We wander around the Arena looking for the Trigger and taking out as many enemy programs as we can. Along with the Klein enemies, there are the Inspire enemies, which have a kite-like shape and a hexagonal "head", and the wasp looking enemy from the day before, the Crix. I also manage to get the kendo sword that Ms. Fujimura wanted along with a Mystic Code, Phoenix Scarf, which will let me heal Saber using a Codecast. Wrapped around my neck is a bright red, knitted cloth with yellow ends.

"How do I look, Saber?"

"Umu. An excellent find, Master. The color is similar to my clothing. Yes, it suits my tastes very well! Perhaps once we get back, we should see about acquiring matching garments?"

I'm not too sure how I feel about that, but this Mystic Code should make me more helpful to Saber in battle. We finally manage to find the Trigger near the end of the Arena.

"So, this is a Trigger. Kotomine said that there were two each round so don't forget to get the second one."

Having obtained the Trigger for this floor and battling every enemy until they stop attacking us on sight, we leave the Arena and go back to our room to rest. Saber sits down on her makeshift throne and I take a seat across from her.

"We failed to make much headway today, Master, but do not worry. By gathering information on our enemies while hiding my own, we will surely prevail."

I nod before getting up and pulling out my terminal. After asking around for a bit, I found out that I can purchase furniture for my room from the Commissary. I activate a program and, in a flash, a large queen-sized bed appears in the corner of the room.

"Umu. Master let us retire for the night. We will continue our investigation in the morning."

Saber climbs into bed with me and quickly falls asleep. I stay awake for a little bit to go over everything that we learned today. Shinji's Servant is possibly an Archer, who uses dual pistols and wears a long coat that looks like it belongs to some military. I wonder who she could be as I fall asleep next to Saber.

The next day I see Shinji and Rin talking to each other outside the library.

"Look at that Master, a perfect opportunity to gather some valuable information. Why don't we go over and see what we can learn?"

I nod and head over to where they are talking. Well, Shinji talking and Rin standing there with her hands on her hips. There appears to be a sizable crowd of people glancing in their direction.

"This place is pretty cool. The graphics are pretty crazy and I'm digging the sea aesthetic. It's like something out of a storybook. I even heard that one Master managed to summon Armstrong. The game's pretty well done."

"So, you managed to summon a decent Servant? No wonder you're Asia premiere hacker, Shinji Matou, truly impressive."

I can almost feel the sarcasm from where I'm standing a few feet away and Shinji I can tell he's upset.

"I may have had to take that kind of crap from you in the past, but not anymore. With my Servant's armada, I'm practically invincible. You can't even touch me now.

"Well, how nice of you to give out information to an enemy Master. You must be truly confident you can win."

"Y-yeah, one-sided fights are boring to me so consider it a freebie. For all you know, I could've just been lying."

"True, but all lies have some bit of truth to them. A class that controls an armada of ships is a great hint. I wonder how such a Servant might attack; maybe they'll fire cannons at me or they could even try to drive their ship into me. I guess I have to go and prepare some countermeasures in that case."

Shinji's face turns pale at what Rin says. The other Masters who are watching them start whispering to themselves. Once you learn something about a Servant, you can make plans to defeat them. If both sides are equal strength then the winner is decided by how much more they know and plan. I can see how "knowledge is power" thanks to Rin.

"Oh, and one more thing. I wonder if that armada you mention is related to the Invincible Armada? It'd be such a shame if everyone started connecting the two. Your Servant would probably be pissed with you."

"W-whatever! Knowledge doesn't mean anything if you can't use it! You and I probably won't be facing each other later."

Shinji turns around to walk away and sees me as the crowd of onlookers disperses, leaving me the only one left.

"Hakuno! You were listening to us that whole time? H-heh, it's fine, I guess. You won't be able to stop the Invincible Arm- I mean, my Servant. I'm still going to win in the end. See you later, loser."

"It seems that some people are still ignorant of what it means to participate in the Holy Grail War…"

Rin sighs and walks away without acknowledging me. Saber appears beside me after the two have left.

"I hate to agree with that girl but she's right. Our foe has no idea what is truly at stake. Well, Master, did you not find our investigation enlightening?"

"Yes, it was."

"Umu. The key to our victory is information. It should be easy to gain information from that careless fool, Master. Let us continue on our way."

Thankfully, the library is right next to me. I enter and quickly look for a book about the "Invincible Armada". The "Invincible Armada" was the name given to the Spanish naval force during the Age of Discovery. More than 65, 000 men served on the hundred-plus warships and it earned Spain the reputation of "The kingdom on which the sun will never set". So, Shinji's Servant was one of the people serving in the Spanish Navy during that time? It's a good start, but even looking at just the commanding officers, there must've been dozens of them. I'll need to gather more information before I can conclude. I shut the book and return it to the librarian before I head downstairs.

I haven't had a chance to talk to Sakura since I found out Shinji was my opponent in the first round. I make my way to the nurse's office. I knock on the door before entering.

"Yes, who is it? Senpai! How are you doing? Are you injured? Please come sit down!"

I'm taken aback by the sudden bombardment of attention and take a seat at a small table in the middle of the room. Sakura begins serving me tea and snacks before sitting down across from me.

"I'm fine, Sakura. I just wanted to see you and talk for a little bit."

She smiles widely and we talk about things. I tell her about how I'm doing and how my first opponent is Shinji. She takes in everything with interest and talks to me about what she has been doing. She has been working on something big. She says it's still in the works so she can't tell me what it is, just that it's a surprise. Before I realize it, the sun is already setting. I get up to leave but before I do, Sakura hands me something.

"Here you go Senpai, a present."

What she hands me is a Pure Ether, an item that will completely heal my Servant's injuries. I saw one in the commissary as a limited specialty item, but it was way too expensive for me to buy with the money I had at the time.

"Sakura, where did you get this?"

"That's my secret. Good luck, Senpai."

She ushers me out the door and waves goodbye as I walk back to my room. We didn't go into the Arena today, but honestly, I don't feel like it would have done much since the enemies stop attacking after they are defeated too many times. I sit down on a small sofa chair and relax as I try to tune out the sound coming from the other side of the room. Just behind a large red curtain was my Servant, taking a bath.

"Master, are you sure you do not wish to join me? I've heard that the Japanese often bath together."

"No thanks, Saber. I'm good."

I'm pretty sure that the Spiritron bodies inside of the SERAPH don't need to be bathed or fed, but my Servant seems to enjoy doing so regardless. I can feel my face grow hotter just imagining…everything. No. I can't get distracted. I have too much to think about right now. I only have four more days until the Elimination Battle and I've barely gotten enough information on Shinji's Servant. Based on the information I have, Shinji's Servant being an Archer is becoming much more likely, but she could be any one of the 65,000 people who served in the "Invincible Armada". I lie down in bed with Saber joining me soon after as I drift off to sleep.

The next day, I see a large crowd of Masters and NPCs alike outside in the hallway. Leo stands in the center of the crowd standing completely calm under their gazes. Behind him is an imposing figure in shining armor. It has to be Leo's Servant. His eyes scan the crowd and make his way over to me, ignoring the others who are watching him. He has a smile on his face as he speaks to me.

"Hello there. It seems that you managed to qualify as well. I had a feeling that we would see each other again. Forgive me, I nearly forgot to introduce my Servant. Gawain, introduce yourself."

"I am Gawain. A pleasure to make your acquaintance; I hope you prove to be a worthy opponent."

I'm speechless. Leo just revealed the name of his Servant in front of an entire crowd of Masters and he doesn't look the least bit concerned. Sir Gawain, I don't think there's anyone who hasn't at least heard his name once when talking about heroes. A knight of the Round Table from Arthurian legend with skills that supposedly rival King Arthur and a holy sword of equal reputation. The white knight standing before has to be a Saber, I can just tell.

Leo remains completely calm as if he doesn't realize how much information he's just given out to everyone here. No. He probably doesn't even care. He doesn't seem like the kind of person to use underhanded tactics or tricks. He's so confident in his victory that it doesn't matter to him if his opponent knows his Servant's identity or not.

"I must take my leave now. I hope to see you again. Please fight with honor and pride."

Leo and his Servant give a small bow as they walk away. The exchange has left me so dumbfounded; I almost don't notice Rin walk up next to me and watch as the two left. She seems to have some sort of relationship with Leo, and not a very good one judging by her muttering and death stare. She walks away muttering to herself, already forming a plan to defeat Leo.

"Umu. That prince's Servant is well known. Legends of the Round Table are numerous and widespread. Revealing his Servant's name was a bold move. It is both impressive and foolish for him to do so and believe that he can still achieve victory."

I nod my head. I don't know what Leo is thinking. It's like his head is somewhere else entirely. Maybe it was the way he was brought up? I spend the rest of the afternoon in my room practicing Codecasts. I almost have the hang of it. The Phoenix Scarf helps show me how I should be manipulating code. I take a break and notice that Saber is staring at me, which makes me nervous. Ever since the start of the Holy Grail War, we haven't had a chance to sit down and talk. I have a ton of questions to ask, but I'm also just interested in knowing more about her.

"…Hmph. It is hard to be around you when you wear the countenance of a donkey in the rain. Speak, if something concerns you. This is a time for rest, so such distraction is permitted."

I try my hardest to ignore her first comment and ask her something that has been bothering me for a while now.

"What's your true name?"

"I'm surprised. So, it seems not knowing my true name has been troubling you. However… Hmm. What troubles _me_ is that you do not worry over the battle to come as I do."

That's not exactly true, but I choose not to say anything. Despite her words, she seems happy that I am asking about her name.

"It is the pleasure of those with regal natures to dignify the queries of those around them with answers. Speaking of the past is awkward, but as we have sworn an oath of fidelity, I will tell you. Listen well! My childhood name was Lu- "

Saber stops speaking suddenly and there is an awkward silence as we stare at each other. Saber's face grows red as she resumes speaking, this time more expressively as she flails her arms and tries to change the subject.

"-No., strike all thoughts of "Lu" from your mind! That was a near thing; I almost spoke it! I told you I would conceal my true name for a time. Falling for such a trick shall not happen! You will learn of my true name once you have become successful as a magus. For now, restrain yourself!"

I am disappointed that I didn't learn Saber's true name, but seeing her like this is a reward in its own way. I smile and go back to my training with renewed energy.

That evening, I head over to the library to do some research on his Servant and I run into Shinji who is standing just behind the door.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in. I'm just kidding. I expected you to come here looking for information. After all, I know everything about you. You must be having a hell of a time finding a book on my Servant so I thought I might help you out a bit. I hid everything somewhere in the Arena. I wonder if you'll be able to find them."

There are some things that Shinji says that I want to address, but knowing that he's hidden the information on his Servant in the Arena is helpful. It makes me wonder if Shinji is really stupid enough to do something like that or if it is a trap, but it couldn't hurt to go look.

"By the way, what does your Servant want in return for helping you? Money, right? I knew it! Well, do try your best. I hope you'll put up more of a fight than last time. You're starting to bore me!"

Shinji walks away laughing. I ignore him and see that Leo is also in the library and decide to go and talk to him.

"My, what an odd man. He is your first opponent, correct? I hear that his Servant is quite powerful, so do be careful."

He returns to his reading and I remember why I came here. I browse the library looking for books about Leo's Servant and find dozens of books detailing Gawain's achievements and adventures. As expected, there is a lot of information about Gawain in the library, including his grudge against Lancelot and his role in the fall of Arthur's kingdom. I close the book I am reading and leave the library. Shinji said that he put the information about his Servant in the Arena, so that's where I am headed next.

When I get to the first floor, I see that Father Kotomine and Ms. Fujimura are there. The priest and nun are an unusual combination amongst the sea of Masters and NPCs dressed as students still. I go over and speak to Ms. Fujimura first, handing her the kendo sword that I found in the Arena earlier.

"Thank you, Hakuno. I'll be sure to return this to its proper home. If I could ask you another favor, would you please get me a box of tangerines? I tried to program them into my inventory, but they somehow ended up in the Arena."

"Okay."

"Wonderful, I'll be waiting here for you later. Also, Father Kotomine said he had something to talk to you about so you should go and see him."

She pinches my cheek lightly before sending me off toward Father Kotomine.

"Ah, you've managed to obtain the first cipher key already. Good. Please remember to get the other one on the second floor of the Arena. On another note, have you gone to the chapel yet? The server's jurisdiction doesn't go that far, but I believe that the people there can help you with your…condition."

As soon as he finishes speaking, my terminal beeps.

[The second cipher key has been generated on the second floor.]

Perfect. I can get the information on Shinji's Servant and get the other Trigger at the same time. Before I head to the Arena in my excitement, I remember what Father Kotomine just said to me and turn to walk toward the chapel. I don't remember there being a chapel or a reason for one being here, but then again, my memory isn't something that I can rely on in the first place. I walk out into the school garden and stand in front of the chapel, the large fountain in the middle of the garden is surrounded by Masters and NPCs looking to relax. Strangely, none of them are sitting near the chapel. I walk up to the heavy doors, push them open and walk inside.

**A/N:**

**Chapter 3 is done! Thanks to the people who left a review. There are some things that I want to address going forward. **

**One, I've deciding to have Mystic Codes featured in the story. Why? Because I like to imagine that Hakuno is running around actually using these very useful items that he is collecting in the games. In the end, he's going to look like that one ProZD skit where he chooses clothes based on stats, instead of how they match.**

**Two, I'm going to introduce the Aozaki sisters in a way that I feel best suits their inclusion into the story because I liked them. I don't know anything about Mahoutsukai no Yoru, but they don't talk about it, so I won't mention it.**

**Three, based on the two reviews I got for Chapter 2, thank you by the way Blaze2121 and Twinightprawn, I decided to change some stuff around.**

**Lastly, a really big question. I know it's super early, but I want to address it so I can plan: Rin, Rani, or Both? Because really, the only difference between the two routes is the fourth round and the sixth round. You face the other one in the sixth round depending on who you choose to save so if I choose both, I'll have to come up with an opponent for Hakuno to face in the sixth round. I have someone in mind, but I'm curious to hear which one and why.**

**Oh, I nearly forgot. Is anyone playing FGO right now? If you have, did you also get the Fate Extra: Last Encore CEs? Also, are you doing the Halloween event?**


	4. Into the Storm Part III

Chapter 4: Into the Storm Part III

Inside the chapel are two women sitting next to each other where the altar would be usually. The woman on the left had short, blue hair and wore glasses while the one on the right was noticeably younger and had long, red hair. The two looked like they were about to kill each other with their glares and I hesitantly spoke up.

"Excuse me? Father Kotomine said that you can help me with my problem?"

They both turned to look at me and the red-haired one answered back.

"Oh hey, welcome to the chapel. I'm Aoko Aozaki; this one here is Touko Aozaki. You here for an Alteration of the Soul?"

"Alteration of the Soul?"

The blue-haired woman, Touko, spoke up next.

"You're that Master that Kotomine was talking about? It's a pain in the ass, but the more test subjects the better, I guess. When a Master links their soul to a Servant, it gives them power. We can strengthen the link by hacking into your soul and making you stronger. How can I put his simply? We're like doctors for the soul, understand?"

That certainly makes it easier to understand. Well, it's not like I have many options; if Father Kotomine says this will help me figure out whatever 's wrong with me, I should at least give it a shot.

"Well, it's like my sister said. My job is to perform Alterations on Masters who want to get stronger. You get the gist of it right? If you want to do an Alteration of the Soul, let me know. As for that creature over there, she's useless, so don't expect much."

"And you're lower than dirt. Don't screw up or the Moon Cell will come down on you…again."

"How many times do I have to tell you, that Master was asking for it! They specifically asked me to do some quasi-legal Alterations, so it's not my fault! I just got carried away adding a few…extra touches."

"Listen up, kid. You're better off strengthening the connection between you and your Servant. I wouldn't trust that "thing" to do anything else."

If looks could kill, then Touko might have been dead already from the scathing look that Aoko was shooting her way. I'm starting to rethink my decision, but I choose to go through with it anyway.

"What do I need to do?"

Aoko stops glaring at her sister and smiles. She snaps her fingers and summons what appears to be a dentist's chair in between them.

"Just relax and have a seat while I take a look at your magic circuits. This will only take a few minutes."

I sit down and lean back into the chair while a display and keyboard appear in front of Aoko, who begins typing. A minute passes by before Aoko speaks again.

"What the hell? You have such high-quality magic circuits, but they're almost all inactive. How did you manage to pass the preliminaries like this?"

"I got lucky, I guess?"

Aoko has a look of disbelief on her face. It's true though, I did almost die during the preliminaries.

"Alright, easy fix; I just have to reactivate your dormant magic circuits. That should fix the flow of magical energy between you and your Servant. This will tickle a bit."

Aoko begins to input a command into the keyboard and before I can ask what is going to happen, I feel an electric shock run down my spine. It takes all of my self-control to not jump out of the chair as I grip the armrests tightly. The pain lasts for a few seconds before fading.

"Okay done. How do you feel?"

I get up from the chair and stagger a bit from the pain before standing up straight and rolling my shoulders. I feel a lot lighter now like a weight has been lifted off of me. Saber speaks to me, still invisible.

"Umu. Master, it seems to have worked. The flow of magical energy between us is much clearer than before. How wonderful. These sisters are truly talented magi to be able to accomplish such a feat."

She's right. I turn to thank Aoko before she stops me.

"Hold on there, Master-"

"Hakuno."

"Hakuno. Hold on a second. Let me see your terminal."

I hand her my terminal. She takes it for a moment before handing it back to me.

"Here, I added a program to your terminal. I wasn't able to reactivate all of your magic circuits, just enough to improve your link with your Servant. If you want to turn them all back on, come back later to do another Alteration. For now, just go kill some enemies in the Arena. When they "die", the program will allow me to convert their excess data into "keys" that will reactivate the rest of your circuits."

"Thank you. I'll come back again."

I turn and leave back outside before I stop in my tracks. Shinji along with two other girls are standing in front of the Chapel, standing across from an elderly man in green clothes. It seems like there is some sort of altercation between them. The old man speaks up, his voice stern and grave.

"A chapel is for quiet reflection. I do not know who your God is, but you should at least know that much."

"My bad, old man! I'm an atheist, swear to god!"

"Hmph. Leave this place at once. The gates of heaven will never open for someone like you. It seems that you haven't bothered to learn dignity and respect if you are even able to."

With that, the old man turns his back to Shinji and walks pass where I am watching in the shadows without another word.

"Damn geezers, always talking down to me. I'll show him! If we meet in the next round, I'll teach him a thing or two!"

I make sure to stay hidden as Shinji stomps his feet and clenches his hands in frustration before walking away. As much as I want to smack him in the face, I need to get going to the Arena while he is preoccupied. I quickly hurry to the Arena entrance and hold my terminal up to it once again. The door opens and I am brought t into the Arena once again, this time to the second floor. Already I can see that this floor is much larger than the first floor. Once again, my terminal provides me with a map of the Arena floor. The Arena is much larger than it was on the first floor. Outside of the grid-like corridors and rooms, I can see countless ships floating in the dark ocean depths, destroyed and haunting.

"Hmph. Master, I can sense an unpleasant aura coming from somewhere. The enemy must be nearby. It would be a problem if they were to attack us as we returned to campus. Let us face them head-on. For now, let us locate the book that rat has hidden away in the Arena. Let us begin, Master."

I nod before running deeper into the Arena. Many of the enemies from the first floor are present, like the Crix and Inspire, but there are some new enemies as well. There is a floating snake-like creature called a Viper and a bull-like enemy called a Cluster Horn. Remembering what Aoko said, Saber and I defeat every enemy that we come across.

"Umu! Did you see Master?! The Alteration was a success! My blade dances much more gracefully and beautifully now!"

Saber seems to be enjoying herself. The Alteration was worth it; now the Crix and Inspire enemies went down in one hit compared to the other day when it would take longer to defeat them and the new enemies were only slightly more trouble than them. Finally, after what must have an hour or two of us running around the Arena, Saber managed to spot a hidden area off the side of one of the corridors we were searching for. There, hidden in an item box, was the book that Shinji had hidden.

It appears to be an old diary or journal of some kind. The words are faded and barely readable, but I can read the name of a ship, the Golden Hind, along with some other miscellaneous information. It must've been constructed with a powerful firewall in place since I figure Shinji would've just deleted it instead of hiding it here. Whatever the case, I have what I came for. I turn to leave before I see another item box hidden under some floating debris. I open it to find another Mystic Code, the Saint's Monocle, which seems like it will let me gauge the opponent's status. I shove it into my pocket before returning to the corridor we had come from.

Unsurprisingly, Shinji is running toward us and the other way is a dead-end, so Saber and I wait there for Shinji and his Servant to show up. He stops a few feet away from me and puts his hands on his knees while he catches his breath.

"Hey, Hakuno. You must be getting pretty desperate if you 're bothering to come out all the way here. Well, it doesn't matter. I'm here to take that book from you now."

Saber walks in front of me and stands ready with her sword.

"So, you've finally arrived. You lowly bit player. Master, let us show them we are not to be trifled with!"

"Okay, go Saber!"

I duck back into the hidden passageway and pull out the Saint's Monocle that I had just found and put it on. A display appears in my right eye that shows me the status of Shinji's Servant. Shinji's Servant opens fire with her guns, but Saber easily cuts the bullets apart with her sword as she rushes toward them. They're caught off guard by Saber's newfound speed and they stumble backward in surprise with Shinji falling onto his ass.

"Shit! Do something, stupid woman!"

Shinji's Servant twirls and dodges Saber's strike by the skin of her teeth before firing again, but Saber blocks the shots with the flat of her sword. The woman grits her teeth and smiles wryly before kicking the flat of Saber's sword and pushing her away. The Saint's Monocle alerts me as the air distorts behind Shinji's Servant as four cannons begin to emerge.

"Saber! Pull back and defend!"

"Culverin Cannons!"

My voice barely manages to reach my her before Shinji's Servant shouts and sidesteps her attack, leaving Saber right in the line of fire of four large cannons. A barrage of cannonballs flies out at Saber who barely manages to defend herself before they explode on impact. I quickly spring into action and heal her using the Phoenix Scarf.

"Heal!"

It glows for a moment before releasing a trail of lights that fly toward Saber, healing her. Saber rushes forward again, using the cover from the smoke to hide as she runs along the wall, dodging Shinji's Servant's shots which end up hitting nothing. Saber swings her sword with all her might and manages to catch Shinji's Servant off guard. Saber doesn't let up as her sword becomes covered in flames.

"Pavilion of Falling Flowers, Rosa Ichthys!"

A blade of crimson light shoots out from the tip of Saber's sword and slams into Shinji's Servant, who is sent flying back from the force of the impact, right into Shinji himself. The two tumble and lay on the ground in pain as the SERAPH steps in to stop the battle.

[Message from the SERAPH - Terminating hostilities]

Shinji struggles to his feet, a look of disbelief on his face.

"N-no way. How could I lose? Don't get cocky! You may have won this time, but I'm the one who will win in the end!"

The two vanish in a flash of light and I run up and rejoin Saber.

"How pathetic. Never mind him, Master, I have come to a conclusion after that battle. Based on the ship's log that we discovered and the cannons that she called upon in that battle, there is no doubt that our opponent is a Rider."

I nod as I finish healing the rest of Saber's injuries. It would be better for us to return now and come back after resting and buying some supplies. I pull out a Return Crystal and throw it to the ground, which causes Saber and I to become enveloped in a bright light before we are ejected from the Arena. As we step back onto campus, I let out a sigh of relief. When we get back to our room, Saber sits down on her makeshift throne and smiles happily.

"Umu. We were successful today Master. They finally tasted the edge of my blade. Let us continue with this same enthusiasm."

Saber gets up from her seat and heads over to the corner of the room to take a bath as I take off my Mystic Codes and blazer and let sleep take me.

The next day, I tried to enter the Arena, but the moment I got near the door, I was flung backward. I look up to see that a wall of code covers the Arena entrance in Purple light. As if answering the thought in my head, I turn around to see Shinji walk up behind me with a smirk on his face.

"Hey Hakuno, you've been hitting the Arena pretty hard. I got bored and ended up setting up a few surprises, my bad. I'm doing everyone a favor, after all, the Arena's a dangerous place for weak Masters. But if you want to enter the Arena, you'll need to find the two magic sigils I've hidden. Just so you know, I'll be waiting in the Arena to crush you. See you later, loser."

Shinji walks away and my Servant appears. She looks pissed.

"I'd give anything to be able to eviscerate that son of a bitch! Sadly, the rules won't allow it. Master, let us find those sigils quickly and get this over with."

I sigh and start looking for the sigils that Shinji was talking about. I start by asking everyone if they saw Shinji acting suspiciously, and several people pointed me in the direction of the Nurse's Office. Sure enough, there is a glowing, purple tag on the door to the Nurses Office. I tear it off and rip it up. One down, one more to go. The door opens suddenly and Sakura is standing in front of me.

"Oh, Senpai. Were you the one who unlocked the door? Thank you!"

"Are you okay, Sakura?"

"I'm alright, Senpai. It was getting a little cramped in there. I was this close to jumping out the window!"

I smile and laugh a little. Talking to Sakura is always a breath of fresh air in the middle of the Holy Grail War.

"I got to get going Sakura, but I'll come by and talk to you when I have time ok?"

"Okay, Senpai. Good luck."

Some other Masters tell me that Shinji was hanging around his old desk in the upstairs classroom, so that's where I go to next. As I come up the stairs, I notice Shinji and Rin speaking to one another in front of the library. Shinji's back is to me as I walk up and lean against a wall, just out of sight. If Rin saw me, then she must've decided to be nice and not mention it as she continued speaking

"Did he actually manage to beat you? Your reputation must not be that accurate then."

"Shut up! I threw that fight on purpose. I was just being nice. My Servant could've easily blown them away!"

"How sad. If that's supposed to be your tough face, it needs more work."

"Say whatever you want. My Rider's culverin will blow them to shreds. You should have seen what happened when his Servant took a full round of shots."

"Wow, a culverin you say? It must be pretty…strong."

"Heh. When it comes time for us to fight, it'll be too late to beg for mercy."

With that Shinji turns and walks away, not seeing me. In has a contemplative look on her face.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like we'll be seeing one another again."

She walks past me as well, sparing only a glance as she leaves. I stand there thinking about the conversation between them. Shinji clearly stated his Servant's class and also revealed one of his Servant's abilities to Rin. I can't help but think that Shinji would get demolished if he and Rin were to face each other. I'm surprised just how much information he's been giving away without meaning to. I guess it's a good thing that I don't know that much about Saber.

"Umu. As much as it would please me to tell you all about my legend Master, the rat is a good example of what happens when one doesn't understand the value of information."

I turn around and walk toward the classroom. I go inside and rip off the glowing tag on his desk. That should do it. While I'm on the second floor, I might as well go to the library and look up more about Rider. I sit down in a corner of the library and open up a book I found about the Golden Hind. A 16th century English galleon originally named "Pelican"; the name was changed by its chief benefactor. Many accounts place it at the location of many raids against Spanish shipping interests.

"Let's hurry to the Arena Master. I will make our foe suffer for the unforgivable sin of annoying me!"

We quickly head back downstairs and hurry to the Arena. Saber and I waste no time diving further in as we look for the Trigger. Along the way, I manage to find the box of tangerines Ms. Fujimura asked me to find along with another Mystic Code, the Exorcist Blade. I hold the blade in my hand and examine it. It takes the form of a silver dagger that will release a burst of electricity, allowing me to stun an opponent.

"Umu! Master, this is an excellent find! We should practice using this; it will no doubt prove to be a useful tool!"

Whether it was called by Saber's loud voice or it was just a coincidence, a Cluster Horn appeared before us. It stomps its foot into the ground and charges at us. I raise the Exorcist Blade and point it at the enemy program.

"Hack!"

A burst of electricity erupts from the tip of the blade, striking the charging program dead on. It immediately takes effect, stopping the Cluster Horn in place for a moment before Saber cleaves its head off. After that, we continue practicing using the Exorcist Blade in live combat. Since it requires a lot of magical energy, I try to limit its use to when Saber is unable to get her guard up in time or when the enemy program seems like it's about to do a powerful attack. After about an hour or so, we manage to find the Trigger and leave the Arena. As soon as we enter our room, I plop down on the bed to rest as Saber sits down on her throne.

"Rider's Master has become skittish around you. Only one day remains before the appointed time. Since we have already obtained both Triggers, all you can do is continue to train until then. Do so, and you will emerge victoriously. The enemy Master is a fool, but his Servant is competent. We should still approach the situation with caution."

With that, Saber joins me in bed as sleep takes me. The last, lingering thought in my mind before I sleep is that I only have one more day until the Elimination Battle. I have no idea what's going to happen when the time comes.

The next day I wake up and get going as soon as possible. I head downstairs to the Commissary to buy some items, stopping only to hand Ms. Fujimura the box of tangerines that she asked me to find. She thanks me before giving me a program that will summon lamps to decorate my room. After I'm finished, I head over to the Arena, hoping to practice a bit more. Just outside the Arena entrance, I notice Shinji and Rider, who seem to be going back and forth about something.

"Shinji. What did I tell you? I don't work without reward. Pay up."

"You want more money?! You're nothing but a greedy money-grubber!"

"Thanks for the compliment. I'm a pirate by trade. The more gold I have in my pile the bigger the bang from my gun."

"All right, fine! Just give me a second."

A large display appears before Shinji, who begins typing in some sort of program. Rider smiles and turns her head toward me. She winks and doesn't tell Shinji that I am standing just a few feet behind him.

"There, I hacked into the Arena and got it to generate some more treasure."

"Heads up, Master. Fancy meeting you here, boy."

"Hakuno?! How long have you been standing there? W-whatever, so you know that there is some treasure on the second floor now, big deal! My Servant gets stronger the more she gets paid! If you want any, you're gonna have to race me for them."

"Hmm. Bold words, there Master. You sure you can back them up? I doubt it! You're nothing more than a hapless, twisted knave!"

"Shut up! Don't talk to me that way you ungrateful Servant! As for you, I'll see you in the Arena. All that treasure is going to be mine, but you're welcome to try and take it if you can!"

With that, he turns and enters the Arena. Saber appears beside me.

"Did you hear that, Master? A treasure that amplifies the strength of a Servant. Pure lust is at times a beautiful thing, but it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth to see her pursue it. I, myself, admire the trappings of wealth. Shall we adorn said finery as we weaken our enemy?"

"Why not? Let's go, Saber"

We enter the Arena and standing just a few feet from the entrance is Shinji and Rider.

"So, you came after all. Don't worry Hakuno, I won't tell anyone how greedy you are. Why don't we see who can gather the most treasure? I'll even go easy on you, so don't take this too seriously."

The two turn around and run further into the Arena. I can hear Rider's voice echo off the walls.

"All right, let the treasure hunt begin! Run like your life depends on it!"

Saber seems just as excited as we run after them.

"While I have no interest in money, I cannot allow treasure to go ignored!"

As we turn around a corner, I can hear a loud ping as Shinji collects the first treasure. I can see them go down a fork in the road that leads to a winding staircase. Seeing this, I run past and take the other path and reach another treasure. It's going to take Shinji a while to catch back up to us, so we keep going and manage to get the last two treasures before Shinji can.

"Damn it! How the hell did you get the treasure before me?"

"This isn't good, Master. No money means no work."

"I know that! If it's come to this, we'll just have to take it from them."

Rider opens fire at us as Saber deflects the shots again. I pull out the Saint's Monocle and Exorcist Blade while Saber charges at Rider. I'm alerted by the Saint's Monocle as the air distorts behind Rider. Not this time.

"Hack!"

The effect of the Exorcist Blade hits as Rider is stunned. The cannons she was about to summon flicker and disappear as her concentration is broken. Saber wastes no time capitalizing on the opening I've created, unleashing a full round of strikes against the incapacitated Rider. Before Saber can do anything more the SERAPH intervenes.

[Message from the SERAPH - Terminating hostilities]

Maybe it's because of Shinji's hacking or maybe it's because we've already fought twice before. Whatever the reason, Saber stops her blade an inch away from Rider's face before returning to my side. Shinji looks at me in shock and frustration.

"What the hell?! How could I lose again?! Hey, don't get cocky! This was just a fluke you hear?! Rider! What the hell were you thinking, losing like this?! You were holding back, weren't you?!"

"Holding back? Of course, I was."

"What?!"

"Even if I were to actually take this seriously, I did the best I could, all things considered. I'm just a hired gun, after all. I can't do much more than what I'm told. Whose fault was it that we lost the treasure?"

"You're saying it's my fault that you lost?!"

"Not exactly, but if that's how you see it, then maybe there some truth to it? To be perfectly honest, I'm not really satisfied, but there's no need for you to worry about that, cherry boy! Running out of ammo because of someone magical deficiency can't be helped, so I kind of expected this!"

"Shut your mouth your trigger-happy bitch! We lost because of your recklessness! There's no way you're better than me! You know that right?! RIGHT?!"

"You really think it's a good idea to say stuff like that? Even in this form, I'm nothing more than a merchant. I won't mince words when something of value is at stake."

"J-just stop talking and let's get out of here. You'd better win next time!"

"Aye-aye, roger wilco, and whatnot. Just be damn sure you have enough ammunition on hand, got it? Being in debt goes against everything I stand for."

The two vanish in a flash of light and I let out the breath that I have been holding in the whole time. The relationship those two seem to have seems toxic. Shinji is Shinji, and Rider seems to be interested in doing her own thing. Once again, I am glad that Saber is the one by my side and not some like Rider. We head to the exit of the Arena and go back to campus, back to our room.

"Tomorrow is the Elimination Battle. If we are truly prepared, there is nothing to fear. Before we proceed to the Elimination Battle tomorrow, we should review our information on the enemy. We shall scribble across her Jolly Roger which of our dances is better, mine or that pirate's. That being said, you performed well in battle today. Rest now, Master. Tomorrow's battle will require all of your strength."

I lie down on the bed to sleep and Saber joins me. Tomorrow, only one of us will walk away. The question is, will it be Shinji or will it be me?

**A/N:**

**Hey, Chapter 4 is finally done! Sorry, this one is kind of late, I was feeling really tired all week and didn't really feel like writing. Also, I had some stuff that I needed to do, like grinding through the Halloween event in FGO. Anyway, thank you to everyone who is reading this story and following it. I hope I introduced Alterations in a believable way. The way I see it, instead of modifying your Servant's stats like in the game, here it's a process that affects the Master instead. I was skimming through the Material guide for Fate Extra/CCC and it said that Hakuno has high-quality magic circuits that weren't being used until the start of the Holy Grail War. I don't really have an exact number in mind when I'm talking about them, but the average magus has like twenty, Shirou has 27, Rin has 40 with 30 sub-circuits each, and Luvia has like 100, so probably somewhere near Shirou. Also, the spellings for the Servants' skills come from the Type-Moon Wiki, if anyone was wondering. I went with the Extella depiction of Rosa Ichthys because of all of your Servant's skills looking exactly the same in Fate Extra, and it would be kind of redundant to describe the same effect with a different name. That's pretty much it. See you again next time.**


	5. Into the Storm Part IV

Chapter 5: Into the Storm Part IV

Today is the day. The Elimination Battle. Saber and I are fully rested and ready as we relax in our room. Will someone really die? It seems too surreal but everyone's been saying it over and over, so it must be true. The battle between Shinji and I; who will win? Saber speaks up, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Master, let us prepare for the coming battle."

"Right."

I sit up on the bed and take out my portable terminal. Shinji's Servant is a Rider. She dual-wields pistols, which is why we originally thought that she was an Archer. Despite resembling old-fashioned flintlock pistols, she can fire a seemingly infinite amount of ammo without needing to reload. Most likely, she is creating ammunition using magical energy. We've already fought the two of them before, so I have a pretty good idea of what she can do with those guns. We also found the note that Shinji hid in the Arena. The note gave us the clue that Rider's Noble Phantasm was a ship, the Golden Hind. That's when we realized that she was a Rider and not an Archer. With all of the information that we have gathered, Rider's identity is most likely… Francis Drake.

A renowned explorer who circumnavigated the world. Despite historical records depicting her as a man, she is actually a woman. She is also famous for destroying the Spanish Armada and paving the way for England to become the dominant superpower during the Age of Discovery. I'm lucky that I managed to figure out her identity before the Elimination Battle. Despite Shinji's personality quirks, he is still an incredibly talented hacker. Hopefully, all of this information will help bridge the gap between our abilities. Whatever the case, all I can do now is wait until the actual battle.

"Umu. Excellent, Master. We know the identity of our opponent now. Those fools will soon taste the full might of my blade. We should continue preparing while we still have time."

I nod and get dressed. Opening the door, I'm surprised to see the hallway completely barren. The numerous Masters and NPCs that usually filled the halls of the school were all gone. If I didn't feel anxious before, I could definitely feel my chest tightening with unease now. I shake my head and try to gather myself. Saber's right, we should be preparing for the Elimination Battle right now. I quickly make my way downstairs and head to the chapel to do another Alteration. On the first floor, the only other person I've seen besides Saber is standing in front of the Nurse's Office. It's Sakura. She smiles as I walk over to her.

"Senpai, how are you? Today is the Elimination Battle, right? Don't worry, Senpai won't lose, I know it."

"Thank you, Sakura. I'll see you again soon, I promise."

I can't lose. In the Holy Grail War, losing means that you die. I at least have people who believe in me. I don't want to say goodbye to Sakura and Saber so soon and I don't want their belief in me to go to waste. With renewed energy, I head over to the chapel and go inside. The sisters are sitting there when I arrive. Aoko looks like she just woke up with how her hair is in disarray and the tired look in her eyes. Touko looks like she didn't lose a wink of sleep as she sits in her chair, lighting a cigarette. Aoko sees me and greets me despite her current state.

"Oh hey, Hakuno. What's up, you here for another Alteration?"

"If it's no trouble, then yes."

"Oh, Nah, you're fine. I just had to pull an all-nighter cause some idiot Masters decided to go and mess with the Alterations that I made, and they 'insisted' that I fix their mistakes."

There was an underlying tone that made me think that there was more to it than that, but I chose not to ask to respect her privacy. I sat down in the same chair from before as Aoko sits up straight and rubs the sleep out of her eyes.

"Alright then, let's get started."

As she began typing I relax in my seat and let her work in peace. Whatever the case is with the other Masters, I'm thankful that Aoko can help me allow Saber to become stronger. The familiar jolt of electricity runs down my spine again as I try my best to ignore the pain. Aoko finishes typing and closes the terminal display.

"There you go, all done. You should be able to check your status on your portable terminal."

I take out said terminal and look at my Servant's status. On the list containing my Servant available skills, it looks like we have gained two more skills. In addition to Rosa Ichthys: Pavilion of Falling Flowers, the two new skills that Saber has regained are called Très Fontaine Ardent: Fountain of the Blazing Saint and Imperial Privilege. The first one seems to be another attack while the second one seems to be a skill that lets Saber perform skills and feats that would normally be unavailable to her for short periods of time. Along with those new pieces of information, I also see another "skill" that Saber has, Migraine. Apparently, because of this "skill", Saber suffers from chronic headaches.

"Aoko, is it possible to get rid of this skill?"

"Sorry Hakuno, but that skill is deeply tied to your Servant's Spirit Origin."

"Master, never mind that. As much as it pleases me to hear your concern for my wellbeing, there are more pressing matters to attend to."

"Alright Saber, if you say it's ok then…"

I'll have to come back to this later. For now, I thank Aoko and head back to the main school building. I head down to the Commissary and restock on items before heading back to my room. I see Father Kotomine standing in the hallway as if he's waiting for me.

"Hello, Master. Today is the Elimination Battle. I hope you are fully prepared."

"As prepared as I can be."

"Very well then. Please, follow me. The Coliseum entrance is where the Teacher's Lounge was previously. Do you have both of the Triggers need to enter?"

I nod and hand him the triggers. He turns and places them onto the windows of the double doors. The triggers disappear and the doors vanish in a flash of data and light. In their place, is now an open elevator that seems to only go downward.

"You will now enter the Coliseum and confront the opposing Master. Remember, the only way to leave the Coliseum is to win. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you will return. Remember; only one may leave while the other is killed.

With that, he steps aside and extends an arm outward, ushering me inside. I take a deep breath and exhale before I enter. Saber appears beside me in a flash of light and looks at me before nodding. I step into the elevator and turn to see the doors closing with a loud crash. In the darkness, I hear the voice of Shinji, who must've entered before me.

"Look who didn't chicken out and run away. Well, you've always been good at following directions, haven't you?"

The area lights up and reveals the inside of the elevator. It is a simple, metal box with large windows along the walls of the elevator. Outside, I can see the Arena as we descend further and further. Shinji and Rider stand across from us, separated by a glass wall. Shinji stands with his hands in his pockets as he continues speaking.

"Man, you really have no idea what you're in for. Those flukes during the prep period were just that, flukes. You're never going to beat me, not in a million years. You should've just run away when you had the chance!"

"I won't know unless I try."

"Do I need to remind you how I've always been ahead of you? I guess I shouldn't be surprised; plebes like you don't get that you'll never be on my level. I guess I better get used to it since nobody here can defeat me. My Servant El Draque and I are completely invincible. You've got some seriously shitty luck to have gotten paired up with me during the first round."

"How about I cut you a deal? Why don't you lose to me on purpose? We both know that this whole battle's going to be a waste of time since I'm going to win. I'd rather not have to waste my energy completely stomping you into the ground. Decided battles like this are still unfair because the victor has to waste their strength. So, be a pal and throw the match for me, will you? That way you won't have to get hurt. I'll even throw in some of the prize money if I win; all I care about is the title. Come on, it's a pretty good deal, don't you think?"

"I refuse."

Losing in the Holy Grail War means death. If I lose without even trying, I would be betraying the belief that Sakura and Saber have in me. I won't do that; not to my friend who I promised to see again, nor to my Servant who saved me from death and has fought and bled for me. Shinji places a hand on his forehead and sighs.

"You really want to fight me, huh? You're a freaking idiot. I guess you've really let the power go to your head. Hey Servant. Why don't you try talking some sense into your stupid Master?"

Saber closes her eyes in thought before answering Shinji.

"Ye gods, of all the rare monsters I have encountered, this is by far the most stupefying. A talking rat! All it speaks is gibberish, but still, a rare and impressive creature! A talking bear would at least be more fetching. This rat revels in slime and filth!"

Despite myself, I can't help but let out a little laugh at my Servant's words. Thank you, for having my back, Saber. Shinji is infuriated by Saber's words.

"What?! How dare you speak about me like that! You're just a Servant!"

Rider, who had been watching silently until now, speaks up.

"Hahaha, they have a point, Master."

"H-hey! Whose side are you on?!"

"Your side, of course. You paid me, so I'll fight ably by your side. Letting them throw the match wouldn't satisfy either of us. I dislike giving less than my full effort. Let your winning instincts take over. Everything's better if you fight for it: food, women, victory. Besides, we're villains. That means if nothing else, we're allowed to be splashy. If you're going to be a villain, might as well be as flamboyant as you please. Don't hold back."

"I'm not a villain! D-don't call me that you evil woman!"

"Hahaha! Temper, temper, little one! You've got big balls for being such a tiny man. I admire that."

"Hey stop! I said stop! Don't pat my head, you baboon! You reek of alcohol!"

Somehow, I can't help but think that they're perfect for each other. I read before that Master and Servants are paired by compatibility. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure what Saber and I have in common. She's much more passionate and imperative than I am. Plus, she has a sort of regalness and confidence that I don't have. The elevator comes to a halt, bringing me back to the conversation. The doors open up as Shinji speaks to me once more.

"Hmph. I was planning on letting you live if you surrendered. But since _everybody_ insists, I'll show you just how much better I am than you. Once El Draque's culverin makes Swiss cheese out of you, it'll be too late!"

He turns and goes out of his exit, stepping into a red light, as I follow suit, stepping into blue light. When the light dies down, Saber and I are standing across from Shinji onboard a large ship's deck. It is a full-rigged ship; its masts are adorned with tattered sails and from where I am standing, I can see the destroyed bow of the ship behind Shinji. The deck of the ship is covered in holes and cracks in the woodwork. There are barrels and crates laid about haphazardly and small staircases are leading to an elevated area near the bow and stern of the ship. The ship we are standing on seems to be one of the ships that were outside of the Arena's walls, since all around, I could see the destroyed and floating remains of other ships that I saw from inside the Arena's corridors. Somehow, the ship we are standing on seems to be the only one not floating randomly in the endless void of the ocean setting. Saber looks around with a look of irritation on her face.

"This is the Coliseum? Without a single spectator, this bears little resemblance to the Roman Coliseum. I shall have to make up for the tackiness of the stage with a brilliant display of bravery."

Shinji speaks up from across the ship.

"All bark and no bite, right? That's what they say, isn't it? Well, that's you! I'm gonna humiliate you so bad that after this game, you'll never crawl out of your mother's basement!"

Rider turns around and addresses Shinji.

"So, your goal isn't just victory, but humiliation? What a greedy little boy you are, Shinji. Very well, I'll bring the rope for you to truss them up. Tie them to the mast or whatever your little heart desires."

"Don't even think about going easy on them, El Draque. They should have just backed down when they could."

"Hmph, mercy isn't in my vocabulary. I have a thirst for the finer things in life, and that is all I care for. I may not always have had good fortunes, but with humans or bombs, there's a certain fatal inevitability to life. Now, are you ready to go for broke? It's time to splurge!"

A large, spherical terminal appears in front of Shinji, who types in a Codecast with a speed that I've only seen from Aoko. A stream of code flies out and hits Saber before Rider raises her guns and opens fire at us. Saber easily blocks the bullets from hitting us but Rider has disappeared from in front of us. Suddenly, a large, wooden crate is flying at us. Saber slices it in half only to find that Rider is right up in front of her, guns firing point-blank. It's a clean hit as I rush to heal Saber, barely managing to do so before Rider calls out her culverins once again.

"Culverin Cannons!"

Saber doesn't even try to block as she pedals back and scoops me up, jumping away from the cannon fire aimed at the two of us. We land near the stern of the ship and I heal Saber's injuries as Rider's bullets miss us and become embedded in the wooden mast, we take cover behind. Were they really holding back against us before? Rider seems completely different than how she was earlier. Saber is fully healed as the shots from Rider's flintlock are healed. Even though her Spiritron body appears unscathed, the knowledge that Saber would be severely injured is enough to make me sick, but more than that, I'm upset. Using the Saint's Monocle, I can see that Shinji somehow managed to decrease Saber's speed and I don't have anything to stop it. I pull out the Exorcist Blade and look at Saber.

"Are you okay?"

"Umu. I'm fine, Master. The harlot seems to have improved as well. We need to rethink our approach."

"Hey, are you guys done already?! I haven't had nearly enough fun!"

Rider's voice calls out to us as more shots are fired at us. Saber's right, she has range and speed. I take a look around and notice a hole leading down to the deck below.

"Saber, I have an idea."

I quickly explain my plan to her and she nods.

"Very well, Master. Do what you must. I will distract them."

Saber jumps back out into Rider's line of sight as I drop down onto the level below the deck. I can hear the gunfire from Rider's pistols and the clanging from Saber's sword as she deflects the shots away from her. I run over as fast as I can to where Shinji should still be standing. Knowing him, he probably hasn't moved from where he was at the beginning of the battle. Looking up through the holes in the deck of the ship I can see Shinji, standing where I thought he would be. Saber should be following through with the rest of the plan now.

"Pavilion of Falling Flowers, Rosa Ichthys!"

"R-rider!"

"I've got you, Master!"

I see a bright flash of light as Rider steps into the path of Saber's attack to protect her Master. It hits her as she blocks the energy blade with her guns crossed. The attack dissipates after a moment as Rider smirks at Saber who is standing where I can't see.

"Going after my Master, eh? Not a bad plan."

"Rider! What the hell are you standing there for? Go after Hakuno too!"

Before she can respond, I raise the Exorcist Blade and aim it toward Rider, who still thinks I am hiding near the stern.

"Hack!"

The two of them look confused hearing my voice coming from nearby. I would be too. The burst of electricity from the Mystic Code in my hand strikes Rider in the back.

"What?!"

"Fountain of the Blazing Saint, Très Fontaine Ardent!"

Shinji screams as a giant ball of fire erupts from Saber's sword and explodes upon impacting Rider's stunned body. I dive out of the way and behind some boxes as a hole is burned in the deck above. A loud crash follows as Saber and Rider fall through the deck above and land on the same level I am on. Rider manages to recover her senses, but as she raises her guns to shoot at Saber, she knocks them out of her hands with her sword. Saber attempts to swing at Rider who somehow manages to catch the blade between her hands. The red-hot metal crackles and sizzles in Rider's hands as she stops the blade from cutting her flesh. Rider uses all of her might to disarm Saber before throwing a punch towards Saber's face.

Saber catches the fist with ease and maneuvers around Rider's body as she begins to grapple her, catching Rider in a chokehold. Rider struggles for a moment against Saber's surprising amount of strength before she throws all of her weight backward and slamming Saber into the hull of the ship. She does this again and again, but Saber doesn't let go. A crack forms in the hull of the ship and as Saber is slammed one more time into the hull a large piece breaks off and floats away into the endless void.

Rider manages to free one of her arms and grabs one of her guns floating near her. She aims at Saber, who releases her, kicking Rider away from her. Without her sword, Saber ends up grabbing Rider's second pistol and pointing it at the female pirate.

"Do you even know how to use that?"

"Umu. Not to worry, Rider. My Imperial Privilege allows me to use skills not available to me normally."

The two aim and fire at each other, both missing as they dodge the other's shot. From where I am, Saber's sword is laying on the floor right next to me. I rush over to it and throw it towards her.

"Saber, catch!"

The sword ignites once again as soon as Saber grabs ahold of it. She immediately rushes at Rider, firing shots from the pirate's own pistol before following up with her sword.

"Tch. Culverin Cannons!"

Clearly at a disadvantage, Rider summons her cannons once again. The shots miss Saber, but Rider manages to jump back onto the deck above through the burning ring of fire. I rejoin Saber as she picks me up once again and we also go back up top. When we land back up top, Shinji is yelling at Rider.

"What the hell are you doing, Rider?! How are you losing?!"

"Master, do me a favor and stop talking. We're in the middle of a battle, if you've forgotten."

Shinji is taken aback as his Servant speaks without the jovial tone that she had before. Rider, Francis Drake, stands there breathing heavily. Her red hair is singed and her coat is burned and blackened with cuts and holes all over her clothes. One her boots is gone, likely from the fire, and the sleeve on her right arm is torn off. Saber doesn't look much better either. Her red dress is full of holes and her hair is loosened from her usual bun.

"You know, it's been fun and all, but I'm going to end this now."

A large amount of magical energy flows out of Rider who grabs Shinji and carries him under her arm, ignoring his protesting. She jumps high, away from the ship and into the endless expanse of the ocean where the floating debris is.

"Master, it appears that she intends to finish this with her Noble Phantasm."

Noble Phantasm. The embodiment of a Servant's legend and their ultimate trump card. If our information is correct then Rider's Noble Phantasm should be her ship, the Golden Hind, or rather, it should be an armada of ships if what Shinji blurted out to Rin is true. My mind races as I think about our chances of survival.

"Saber, get ready to jump again."

"Master?"

"Trust me, okay?"

"Umu. Very well, Master. I trust you."

Rider's voice echoes through the space around us.

"Here is where my life stretches! Remember my name as you go! Temeroso El Draque! I am the woman who set the sun! You rascals, it's time! The King of Ghosts, Night of the Storm, this is the beginning of the Wild Hunt!"

The space behind Rider distorts, similarly to how he summons her cannons, as the bow of a ship emerges from the space which Rider lands on. A gargantuan ship appears, much larger than the one that we've been fighting on. That must be the Golden Hind. Soon several more ships emerged behind it and aim their cannons at the ship Saber and I are standing on. Shinji laughs before speaking.

"See, Hakuno?! You've should've just given up before the fight even started! That way, you wouldn't have to meet such a gruesome end!"

"All cannons! Prepare to fire! On my mark! 3… 2… 1… Fire!"

"Saber, jump!"

As the sound of what appears to be a thousand cannons fills the air as they fire at the spot we are standing on, Saber picks me up once again as she pours all of her magical energy into her legs and jumps upward. We fly upward behind the sails of the center mast and land briefly on the crow's nest before going even higher and into the sea of debris from the other ships. Saber and I watch as the ship we are standing on is completely obliterated in a barrage of cannon fire. I pour as much magical energy as I can muster into Saber as we land atop the largest piece of floating debris we find.

"Saber, go now!"

"Yes, Master!"

My Servant flies through the air at an incredible speed as she dives at Rider in what could possibly be our last chance at winning this battle. Saber's shape grows smaller and smaller the further away she gets from me. I can barely see her, but I somehow manage to make out Saber as she arrives at the place where Rider is standing. Suddenly, instead of where I was hiding, I am standing on board the deck of the Golden Hind. I look and see Shinji, who has a stunned look on his face, and then I see what he is looking at. Standing there in the middle of the deck is Saber and Rider, the latter having a sword rammed into her chest. Saber pulls her blade free from Rider's chest and does a little flourish as Rider falls to the ground. Shinji speaks up after a moment has passed.

"W-what the hell?! How did my Servant get defeated?! No matter how you look at it, I'm the best! At everything! I can't lose in the first round! It's _your_ fault El Draque! This happened because you suck!"

Rider slowly picks herself off of the floor and places a hand on her chest where Saber stabbed her.

"Huh? You're really going to kick somebody while they're down, Master? Whatever you say, it's over now."

"Argh! If you have the energy to talk back, then go fight! There's no way I'm losing this!"

"Yeah, that's not going to happen. If you hadn't noticed, I just got stabbed in the heart. I'm going to disappear soon."

"Say what?! Do you think you can run away and leave me here? I lost because of you!"

"My fault? Maybe. Or it could have been carelessness. Or a lack of tenacity, luck, ability, etc. I'd wager it's because even though you're a talented hacker, you've got garbage magic circuits. Well, whatever. Fortune is fickle and fate is what we make of it. Whatever the reason, we lost. We were strong, but what didn't have what it takes to win."

"Why are you making it sound like somebody else's problem? I did what I'm supposed to do! I'm the best! It wasn't supposed to go like this. You ruined everything by becoming my Servant! Useless! Damn it! I can't believe I lost! This game sucks!"

Saber rejoins my side and leans into me. She's tired and for good reason. I hold her close as she speaks to me.

"This display is pathetically dull. Let us return to your room. I would enjoy a bath. Just looking at this abomination soils my outfit even more. As for the lady pirate, I wanted to hang her, but I pity her now. I shall drop my ill will."

Saber turns to walk away, not even sparing the other two another glance. As I follow behind her, Shinji speaks up once more.

"Hey wait, Hakuno. I-I've got an idea. How about you declare that I won the battle? B-because you know that you won this battle by accident! You're just going to lose the next round anyway, so why don't you let me take over for you instead? Think about it? Isn't it better for one of us to keep winning than for you to lose in the next round?"

"I won't lose."

I turn around and walk away again as Shinji keeps talking.

"Hey, wait. I said wait, damn it!"

"Just stop, Shinji. You lost and you know it. You can't change what happened."

Rider speaks up against her Master.

"Shut up! We lost because of _you_! What makes you think you have the right to act so bossy?! Damn it. You may have won this one game, but don't get a big head over it. In real life, I'm still a champion! Listen, when I go home, I'm gonna figure out who you really are and—"

Before Shinji can finish speaking, his arm tuns pitch-black as purple cracks spread across it.

"What the hell is going on? I've never logged out like this!"

A red grid appears between us, separating Shinji and me on opposite sides. More and more of Shinji's body is covered in the same blackness as his arm. Rider is the one to answer Shinji.

"Losers die in the Holy Grail War. As a Master, you should have known that, Shinji."

"D-die?! What are you talking about?! Our avatars just get erased, right? There's no way you can _die_ in a virtual world."

"Do you really not get it? You lose, you die. This is a 'war', not a 'game'. Mostly everyone who joins this war ends up dead. The sole survivor is the only one who can go home alive."

"No way! This isn't funny! It's a tournament, that means it's a game, right?! W-why isn't this stopping?! Do something! Isn't a Servant supposed to help their Master?!"

"If it were that easy to break the rules, they wouldn't have created them in the first place. Well, the good and the bad are sent off to another world in the end. It's nothing to complain about."

"Acting like you know so much! Aren't you ashamed at all?! First, you lose, and now this?!"

"Am I ashamed? Of course, I am. I'm so disgusted with myself that I could throw up. But, do you remember what I told you when we made our contract, little boy? Be prepared, because a villain's final moments are laughably miserable! Considering all you've done, it's not a bad way to go out. Just let go, Shinji."

"And you two over there. Good job. I honestly didn't expect to lose this early, but I can say that it wasn't too bad. Saber, why don't you give your Master that gun of mine? Think of it as a memento. May the rest of your journey go well. I'd like for the two of you to become stronger than me. In life, I fought against military ships. It's against my nature to enjoy fighting weaker opponents."

Seeing that Rider's body is almost completely gone, I decide to speak up,

"Rider, for what it's worth, I think that your ship is pretty cool and your Noble Phantasm was really amazing. Thank you for being our opponent in this first round."

"Heh. What a charmer. If we ever meet again, Master, let's grab a drink together."

Rider's body fades away with a smile on her face and only Shinji is left. Now that Rider is gone, Shinji is next…

"Who gave you permission to disappear like that?! You gotta help me! Don't leave me! Oh god! Hakuno, help me! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this situation! You owe me! No! I'm disappearing! Didn't we use to be friends?! Help me! Help! Why aren't you helping me?! I'm only eight years old! I don't want to die yet—"

Shinji trails off as he finally disappears. The person known as Shinji Matou ceases to exist before my eyes. The only ones left behind are my Servant and I. The Golden Hind begins to fade away as Saber and I are warped back into the elevator we came down in before. I still can't believe what's happened. Shinji is dead because of me. And his final words; I don't even know how to comprehend them. Before I know it, the elevator has stopped and I step out to meet Rin Tohsaka.

"So, Shinji lost, huh. The moron didn't have a clue how to fight for his life. That is the fate of any magus who treats the Holy Grail War like a game. A pathetic way to die, no?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

The words leave my mouth before I even realize what I said. The voice that lashes out at Rin sounds foreign to me despite being my voice. I don't even know where it came from. Rin looks taken aback for a second before gathering herself and continuing.

"This is a battlefield. What sense is there in exalting someone who was dealt with defeat? The winner of the Holy Grail War is granted any wish, but there can be only one winner. Everyone who enters has their own wishes and dreams, the things they desire to have at any cost. Things worth dying for. If you aren't ready to kill or be killed, then you should go hide under a rock or something."

"I'm prepared."

"As long as you mean it."

Rin is right. Despite her attitude and harsh words, she is right. The people who enter this war all have something that they are seeking. I don't really have a reason to fight. Do I have the right to deny other people their dreams when I don't have my own? I walk past Rin and head back upstairs to my room. I can think about these things later. Right now, Saber deserves to rest after our battle.

As I lie in bed, Saber is already out like a light. I can't stop thinking about Shinji and about what Rin said. I get up and go outside to the garden to clear my head. I should know better than to go around without my Servant, but for some reason, everything seems so far away. I stand by the large fountain and watch the water flow from the spout in silence. The sun has already set and the digital sky was dark. I've never really had the chance to view the night sky of the Moon Cell. It's pretty.

I turn around after hearing a noise behind me. Is it an enemy? Saber is still asleep in our room as far as I know. So, I'm completely defenseless right now. Instead of an enemy attack, I'm greeted by the sight of a long-haired brunette, eating what looks to be yakisoba bread.

"Hello. Do you want some too? I have an extra. Relax, I'm not going to attack you or anything. I just came out here to enjoy some peace after my Elimination Battle."

"Um, sure. Thank you."

I take a seat beside her on the bench she is sitting on and get a better look at her. She's pretty cute, in a sort of simple way. It's hard to explain. She has a pair of red-framed glasses on, but I must be more tired than I thought because her face seems almost blurry to me. I sit back into the bench and take a bite of the yakisoba bread she handed me. It's good. I don't think I've eaten since the Holy Grail War started. It wasn't like I needed to, but I sort of missed the feeling of eating food. The girl finishes the rest of her bread before speaking.

"So…How was your Elimination Battle? Obviously, you won."

"It was…all right. I won."

"Good. Good. I, uh, saw what happened with that girl earlier. You know, the black-haired one? She seemed like kind of a bitch."

"Yeah. Well, she wasn't wrong."

"How so? What she said wasn't wrong, sure. But her attitude pisses me off. Who does she think she is, talking like that? So, the other person loses? That doesn't mean that they didn't exist. That their life stops having meaning after they've died."

"Exactly! That's what I was thinking!"

"I don't think you should listen to everything that she says. She may be more knowledgeable about the Holy Grail War, but she's got a rotten attitude. Well, I should be going now. My Servant is starting to get upset with me."

"Hey, thanks for talking to me, and for the food too. What's your name?"

The girl stands up and walks over to the fountain.

"Hakuno. My name is Hakuno. That's your name as well, right? What are the chances that you and I have the exact same name? Well, I'll see you later, Hakuno!"

With that, the girl turns and leaves, walking back toward the main school building. I stare after her for a while before I'm interrupted.

"Master, why does it seem as if you have a talent for being completely absentminded?"

"Saber?! How long have you been there?"

"I realized that you had slipped away into the night and hurried over to protect my foolish Master, lest an enemy try and take your head."

"I'm sorry, Saber. I was having trouble sleeping and didn't want to bother you."

"Master, I am your Servant. If you are feeling uneasy, then you should speak to me about it, not seek comfort in others. I am always here to listen to you."

"Thank you, Saber. Let's go back and get some sleep. The next round of the Holy Grail War starts tomorrow."

Saber nods as we head back to our room and get into bed. I still don't know why I'm fighting or what I'm fighting for, but I feel much better than I did before. A thought lingers in my head before I go to sleep. What Saber said in the Coliseum caught my attention. She mentioned the Roman Coliseum. A famous symbol of Roman culture and easily one of the most recognizable structures in the world. I'll have to remember that for later; it might give me a clue on who Saber really is. I know I promised that I wouldn't ask her what her name was, but I never said anything about figuring it out myself. After all, knowledge is power.

Sleep comes easily to me as I close my eyes and lose consciousness. Tomorrow, the second round of the Holy Grail War begins.

**A/N:**

**(Warning Spoilers!)**

**Hey! I'm finished with Chapter Five! I didn't think I'd do it, but it happened! Anyway, I'm sorry I'm kind of late. I was playing Fate/Extella to get inspired and ended up hunting for trophies. I just finished all of the Side Stories that I hadn't finished before (Lu Bu, Karna, Iskandar, Jeanne, Gilgamesh, Elizabeth, and Archimedes). And can I just say, I get why those middle three are Top Servants. Like, I played them and they seem like they are way more powerful than all of the other Servants in the game, excluding S. Venus. Karna was so cute though. He almost introduced himself as Launcher during his Side Story. I guess he remembers Jinako. Speaking of memories, are Nameless and Gilgamesh not the same Servants they were in Fate/Stay Night? I know they're not supposed to be, but in-game dialogue says otherwise what with Nameless' knowledge of Rin and Shinji and Gilgamesh's attachment to Artoria in his Side Story. If someone knows the answer to this, please tell me. Also, I really hate Archimedes; like, he didn't get corrupted by the Umbral Star and turn evil, he chose to be evil, for stupid reasons.**

**(About the Chapter)**

**The fight is kind of short and I didn't want it to drag on too long. I didn't want it to be like the game and I didn't want it to be like Last Encore, even though that was kind of cool. I hope it's okay. If it seems like Hakuno and Saber shouldn't have won, there's a lot of reasons I think that contributed to their victory. One, Shinji is a coward, so he wouldn't be as involved in the fight as Hakuno, who without memories would not be afraid of anything really. Two, I treat Shinji like he is in Fate/Stay, meaning he has garbage magic circuits, if any, which means that he is actually weaker than Hakuno, who has undergone Alterations and would be over-leveled in my playthrough (Level 11, three over the requirement and enough to gain the skills listed above). Also, I kind of wanted to emphasize that power isn't the dominant factor in the Moon Holy Grail War like everyone tells you at the beginning of the game. Fight smarter, not harder.**

**Fount of the Saint. While playing Extella, I noticed that Saber says the exact same line, or at least something similar, as the Japanese translation of the skill during one of her special attacks (The one with the exploding flowers, the last one you can do). So that's the effect I was going for here.**

**Rider's goodbye. I have a love/hate relationship with Drake. I loved her in Okeanos and she was my first 5-star Servant in F/GO. But in Extra, she doesn't really stand out much compared to the other Servants, especially since she's the first one you fight. So, I decided to throw her a bone. Also, Hakuno gets a souvenir. **

**Rin. Kind of a bitch. Not going to lie if I were Hakuno, I'd have slapped her. Doesn't matter if Shinji was an ass. Some things shouldn't be said.**

**Mysterious girl. Yes, they are both named Hakuno.**

**Anyway, this A/N has dragged on for a while now. Thank you for reading and I'll get back to you again soon with the next chapter.**


	6. Forest of Lost Souls Part I

Chapter 6: Forest of Lost Souls Part I

It's the first day of the second round of the Holy Grail War. I woke up earlier than usual. The sun hasn't even risen yet. It's all coming back to me as I lay in bed next to Saber. I defeated Shinji in the first round, killing him. I don't know what to make of it all. First, I find out that my memories were all fake and then I find out that I can't even remember my life before entering the Holy Grail War. The next thing I know, I'm forced to fight my fake best friend and end up killing him. I remember what Rin said to me the day before. What she said was completely logical, but I still didn't know how to deal with it emotionally. For me, those false memories of a boring school life are all I have. Saber stirs beside me in bed, looking up at me with a clear gaze.

"Though your friendship may have been brief, I understand you need to lament, to reminisce. Do not worry. That girl seems to have gladly abandoned civility, but I will not. I like those who are kind. There is no beauty in your tears, but they move me, nonetheless. I can't quite put it into words, but after this fight, I do believe I like you a bit more."

I can't help but laugh a little. I'm surprised to hear Saber sound so unsure about her own feelings.

"It is not the stronger wish, but the wish that is more beautiful that triumphs in the end. Your wish may be a small, frail seed now, but by the end, it will have blossomed beautifully. Therefore, all you need to do is keep winning, and resolution will bloom in your mind."

"Thank you, Saber."

"Worry not, Praetor. I am the sword at your side. I am always here to listen to your worries, as I told you before."

I smile softly before Saber's words fully register to me.

"Praetor?"

"Umu! You have successfully made it through the first round of the Holy Grail War and have proven yourself a capable Master. Such an achievement is worthy enough for me to address you with higher regard."

Before I can ask what a "Praetor" is, my terminal beeps loudly. I take it out of my pocket and look at the message on the screen.

[The next combatants will be announced on the second-floor bulletin board.]

Saber vanishes as I sigh and walk out into the hallway. Once again, my name is printed on a sheet of paper pinned to the wall. Next to my name is a name I don't recognize, Dan Blackmore. I feel a presence behind me and turn around to see the old man dressed in green who spoke to Shinji during the first round. Now that I get a good look at him, I can see his pure white hair and weathered face. His face is stern, and his gaze is focused on me. Compared to Shinji, he is much more composed and there isn't a trace of uncertainty as he stands tall. So, he's my next opponent?

"You are my next opponent? You are far too green, and you lack experience. You have let your opponent's appearance shake your resolve. And your eyes, they show how lost you are. You are beyond hopeless. Entering the battlefield in that state will prove disastrous."

The old man, Dan Blackmore, walks away from me. I can't help but wonder if I'm as easy to read as he made me seem. Maybe it was some sort of mind game? My Servant appears beside me and speaks.

"He is a seasoned warrior, prepared to die should orders dictate it. Fighting this Master will force you to refine your crude fighting skills, willing or not!"

I appreciate how Saber overlooks how outclassed I am. Even I can tell that Dan is the superior Master here. Maybe she thinks that she can compensate for my weakness? I'm not sure what to think. Despite making it through the first round, I didn't do that much. I won mostly because of Shinji's carelessness. Not only that, I lack the drive that Dan and Rin both seem to have. Maybe he was right, I am lost. I don't have any idea why I am fighting or what I am fighting for and that puts me at a disadvantage. Why did I join the Holy Grail War in the first place? If I forgot it so easily, was my reason for fighting that weak? Well, there nothing I can do other than to keep moving forward.

The evening comes quickly, and I decide to go and see if Rin is on the rooftop again. I make my way up to the rooftop and there she is. I'm still a bit iffy from the last time I spoke with Rin, but I don't have a choice. She is my best source of information since I have no memories of the world outside of the SERAPH. I call out to her and she turns around to face me.

"I heard about your next opponent. He's a decorated soldier, although I believe he's retired now. He's a sniper from a kingdom that is allied, whether they want it or not, with the Harwey plutocracy. Things, like crawling over a mile or sniping an enemy commander, are par for the course for him. He's on a whole other level than your first opponent. Sheesh, you really are pathetic. Your memories haven't returned, and you're weak on top of that. I don't want to preach, but without memories, without your reason to fight, you're dead in the water."

Rin takes a break from her long rant to catch her breath. I try to look past the biting commentary and insults and focus on the important things. The Holy Grail War is won by individual motivation. Rin opens her mouth to speak again.

"Only soldiers fight solely out of obligation. For the rest of us, we need to keep our eyes on the prize. You're not a strong-willed person or a soldier. By now, you should know that's a weakness. Even if you've got the strongest Noble Phantasm out there, he'll still make quick work of you."

"What are you talking about? I haven't even used my Servant's Noble Phantasm."

"What? That means that you aren't making full use of your Servant's powers, and yet you defeated El Draque? And here I thought that you'd relied on a potent Noble Phantasm to defeat El Draque. I might have to rethink my opinion of you. But the more we talk, the more I get the feeling that something's very off about you. Your memories haven't returned, and you didn't even use your Servant's Noble Phantasm to win. You're a troublesome individual, you know that?"

I don't have anything to say in response. My memories, my motivations, my Servant's handicaps, they are all problems that I have to deal with if I want to keep winning. Rin's gaze lingers on me before turning away and I turn around and walk toward the door leading back downstairs. Once we reach the first floor, Saber appears and speaks to me.

"Don't look so pensive, Praetor. Have that girl's words struck you so deep?"

I think back to what Rin said. If I had used Saber's Noble Phantasm, would we have had an easier victory? Saber speaks up as if she can read my mind.

"A Noble Phantasm is the symbol of a legendary soul. If used, it will disclose my identity. It will be usable in time, but it should not be exposed to small fry in the first rounds. Yes, a need to use it will arrive. Anticipation will sweeten the day it is finally revealed."

That's true. It would be better to save Saber's Noble Phantasm if we can. If we reveal it too soon, the other Masters will discover Saber's identity and use it to their advantage. My terminal beeps, disrupting our conversation. I'll learn Saber's identity in time, and I still have clues that I need to investigate.

[The primary cipher key has been generated.]

"Umu. Our task has been laid before us. Completing it is more worthwhile than this talk of Noble Phantasms."

With that, Saber vanishes from sight. I need to prepare before we go into the Arena to get the Trigger. I head downstairs to the Commissary to see if they have anything new in stock and to sell the treasure that I had gotten during the first round. I receive a lot of money from selling the treasure and use it to purchase some healing items and a new Mystic Code, an Aromatic Wood. It is a block of wood about the same size as my terminal and it gives off a pleasant scent. It will heal my Servant of various status afflictions like poison or paralysis. I'm sure it will be as useful as my other Mystic Codes.

The next thing I do is go and see Sakura. I promised to come and see her if I won made it through the first round. I open the door and find Sakura asleep on one of the beds inside. Oops. I guess I'll just have to come back later then. Stepping back outside, I make my way over to the Arena. As I turn around the corner, I instinctively take a step back. Dan is standing in front of the Arena with his Servant. I can hear Dan's voice as he addresses his Servant.

"I have just learned the identity of our next opponent. Though young, he did survive the first round. Be on your guard. I will not tolerate you acting solely on your 'gut feelings'."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I don't care who our opponent is. My only goal is their death. Anyway, he's already killed once, right? Anyone who has made it through the first round is worthy of a little respect. Or is that just me?"

"Your arrogance will be the death of us. I need you to obey my commands if we are to survive. No more acting on your own like the first round. Winning battles is meaningless if we lose the war. Do you understand me? I will not tolerate your insubordination a second time."

"I got it already. Jeez, old man, you can be a real pain in the ass sometimes."

Saber appears behind me.

"It seems that the man in green is our next opponent. It appears he is more bully than the soldier. Uncouth though he may be, he has emerged victorious from the first round. That being said, he might be more a source of amusement than an actual threat."

Saber disappears as the two of them turn and enter the Arena. I'm not sure if I agree with Saber's opinion, but either way, I'm going to have to face them sooner or later. I walk up to the entrance of the Arena to follow after them. I hold up my terminal to the entrance and we are transported inside. I step into the Arena which has changed from the first round. The once blue grid-like corridors were now green. My terminal beeps as it generates a map of the Arena and displays a new message.

[Second Chimeric Lunar Sea] [THE GLORY OF THE NIGHT-SHROUDED WORLD AND THE DEFILED FACELESS HERO. WHAT IS JUSTICE, AND AT THE COST OF WHOSE PRIDE?]

Once again, I question the strange message that pops up on my portable terminal. I wonder who it is that comes up with these messages and what they mean. I'm pulled out of my thoughts suddenly as the air shifts with a notable hostility in it. My vision distorts before everything changed to look like its painted with inverted colors. A sharp pain runs through my body and I am unable to move. My Servant seems surprised as well.

"What? This area is infused with poison! To think he'd try to assault me from the shadows. Such arrogance and an appalling lack of refinement!"

Saber's voice snaps me back to reality. I need to move quickly and get through the Arena before it gets worse.

"There is no time for discussion. This must be an aspect of the Servant's Noble Phantasm. I can feel an aura of death even from here. With this kind of Noble Phantasm, the source of it must be nearby. If we destroy it, the poison will dissipate. There is only one course of action to be taken. I will destroy this foul trickery with my blade!"

Saber's right. We need to get rid of that Noble Phantasm before we drop dead. I mark down some notes in my terminal before we start running ahead to the source of the poison. Along the way, some enemies notice us and try to attack us. They look similar to the enemies from the first Arena but have different names. For now, I'll just refer to them by their "Class" the same way as Servants. Cube and Wasp enemies approach us only to be slapped away by Saber's sword. We don't have time to deal with them, so we defeat the ones in front of us and ignore the rest. Every step I take is like a knife stabbing into my skin I try my best to ignore the pain as a tree comes into view.

"Praetor, I feel the magic flowing from that tree. It must be the source. Destroy it and we obliterate the poison. Let us go!"

As we get closer to the tree, I notice Dan and his Servant standing in another hallway talking to each other. I pause and get as close as I can to har what they are saying.

"How convenient. I will draw my blade here."

I grab a hold of Saber's arm and stop her from attacking them. What's going on with her? Before she told me that "knowledge is power" and now she wants to attack them without knowing how powerful they are. I wrap my arms around her and hold her back as I cover her mouth and quiet my breathing. I might be in incredible pain right now, but I can learn something from listening in on them. I strain my ears and focus on their voices.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"What's that? I put up this little barrier so that you'd win, boss. Why wait until the Elimination Battle to take them out? If they drop out now, it'll be an easy victory for us."

"Who gave you the command to do such a thing? Even vultures that feed upon carrion have at least a single thread of dignity."

The tension between them is heavy. It's obvious that these two are on opposite sides in how they want to fight.

"The use of the yew tree is unnecessary for this fight. I thought I forbid you to use it. It seems to me that you lack the most important of traits: Pride."

"Pride, you say. Sorry, but I just can't see myself seeking something as useless as that. I mean, I'm all for it if that's all we need to win this whole thing. Really, it'd be the best thing in the world if our enemies would just kill themselves in the face of our Pride! Sorry, I'm not nearly the man you are. I'm just a pragmatist that'll resort to poison if it'll guarantee a kill."

"I see. Violation of trust. Ambushes. Betrayal. These are the things you rely on in battle."

Dan's Servant seems to be acting on his own and it's causing a rift between the two of them. Saber wriggles out of my grasp and for a second I'm worried she might attack them. Instead, she closes her eyes in thought before speaking.

"It appears that those two do not get along. I can empathize with what that old knight is trying to say. There is no sense of beauty in his Servant's actions. Also, there are far better poisons he could've used."

Dan's lower's his voice before calmly speaking again.

"I will not order you to lower this barrier now. However, should you choose to disobey me again…"

He lets the sentence trail off before the two of them exit the arena in a flash of light. Whatever the case, the two of them don't seem to get along well. The difference between Dan and me is incomparable, but we aren't the only ones fighting. Our Servants are fighting alongside us. I like to think that Saber and I have a good relationship. Speaking of Saber, she is standing with her hands on her hips and staring intently at me.

"Praetor, I hope you haven't forgotten, but we must destroy the source of the poison before we fall."

"Oh right, let's go, Saber."

The tree is only a few feet away from us. The flow of magic coming from the tree is intense. The tree itself is rather plain, looking no different from any other tree. I can feel my chest tighten up from the magic being released. Saber huffs and readies her sword to cut it down.

"It is filthy to even look upon. Such a vile thing."

A single swing of Saber's sword is all it takes to destroy the source of the poison barrier. The pain disappears almost instantly, and I breathe a sigh of relief. In any case, we need to watch out for that Servant. If he's willing to go this far and disobey Dan's orders, there's no telling what he may try to do. Saber relaxes and stares intently at me.

"Hmph. We are done, Praetor. Now, if we may speak about what transpired just before. Why did you stop me from attacking those two?"

Saber stares expectantly at me, waiting for my answer. I take a moment to think before I answer her.

"We don't know enough about them to start a fight now. Shinji and Rider were fine, but Dan by himself already has the advantage against us. I didn't want to rush in blindly. And I didn't want you to get hurt because of my weakness, Saber."

"Umu! Well said, Praetor! Despite your shakiness since our opponent was announced, you are still able to think clearly. Don't fret about the difference in your strengths, Praetor. You still have much more room to grow and become stronger."

Saber stands proudly as she speaks her thoughts. So, it was a test? Either way, I'm glad that Saber cares enough about me to worry. I pull out my terminal and check our status. The damage from the poison isn't as bad as I thought it was. We may still be able to get the Trigger today.

"Saber, I have a working theory. For now, let's assume that Dan's Servant is an Assassin. He used a poison barrier to try and take us out and based on what Dan said, he specializes in sneak attacks and sabotage."

"Umu. Excellent work, Praetor. Let us continue gathering information on our opponents later. For now, we should go and retrieve the Trigger if we can."

We progress further into the Arena as we look for the Trigger. Along the way we encounter a new enemy type; I'll call them "Fang" enemies. They vaguely resembled alligator heads and split open to bite down on us with sharp teeth. They were much stronger than any other enemy program that we've come across. Saber suffered numerous wounds despite my support. Thankfully, we managed to defeat them and receive a large amount of excess data. I'll have to remember to go and see Aoko when I have time. There were Serpent-type enemies as well, but they weren't much of a challenge.

While we were looking for the Trigger, I found a new Mystic Code. Durable Gym Clothes. I'm not exactly sure why they're here, but I suppose it's better that I take them anyway. We manage to retrieve the Trigger easily enough; there isn't much to do on the Arena's first floor it seems. We make our way towards the exit and step back out onto campus, successful. Saber sits down in her usual spot and relaxes with a smile on her face.

"Our enemy Master and Servant have clashing views on battle. Your reliance on willpower instead of ability or philosophy really comes in handy for me! Umu. I entrust myself to that willpower without question, Praetor. Since those two cannot understand each other soul to soul, they rely on faulty words and emotions. So, let us exacerbate their ill feelings toward each other and in doing so, grasp victory. Observe those two closely in order to ascertain the differences in their philosophies."

I nod my head and look back down towards the Codecast I am working on. Knowing that Dan's Servant specializes in poisons is a big help in figuring out how to defeat them. I focus on the Aromatic Wood and mentally prepare myself. It will be a while before I can use the Aromatic Wood in battle, but it will be worth it. I spend the rest of the time practicing until evening turns into night. I decide to stop and lie down in bed as rest for tomorrow.

The next day, I wake up early and continue practicing until noon. I decide to take a break and step outside to take a walk before I hear a familiar voice down the hall. It's Leo. He's speaking to Dan and I can't help but walk over to see what the conversation is about.

"Greetings, Sir Dan Blackmore. It's an honor to meet a knight of such renown."

"The honor is mine. To meet the lord successor to the Harweys in a place such as this…"

"Certainly, you're not surprised. I am just here to retrieve what is rightfully ours. I am a novice to the battlefield, but my family has decided that I was to be the one to go. It's an embarrassing confession to make to such a seasoned knight."

"The almighty Grail…The Holy Grail is to be yours?"

"Of course. We Harweys must have it under our control, especially if its guardianship is vacant. Something so divine does not belong in the hands of a normal man, but the embrace of a king. This Holy Grail War is annoying, but what can you do?"

"You speak of the divine right of the kings. Yes, I can see that's where you're coming from."

As always, Leo speaks with a clear voice and an imperial tone. I'm not sure what to think and I get the feeling that Dan doesn't know either. I get the feeling that whenever Leo speaks, the words don't resonate with me. Maybe it's the difference in our character. It seems like the two of them know each other, despite not having met. After a momentary pause, Dan opens his mouth to continue speaking.

"So, the Holy Grail is legitimate. To tell the truth, I was rather dubious on the whole…Oh no, I feel unsuitably roused. To think that at this age I would see the honor in questing for the Holy Grail!"

"Of course, the Holy Grail is real. To your country most of all."

"Oh? And how have you arrived at that conclusion?"

"Because of you, Sir Blackmore. You are not only a veteran but a knight decorated by the Queen. The fact that a man of your rank has been dispatched is proof that the Grail is real."

"What are you saying, young king? I am just an old soldier. The Queen could not spare a young life for this battle royal; hence I was called upon."

"You're close to the Queen, so you must have heard her displeasure at a certain allied organization."

"Well, the Queen's intentions do not reach a simple soldier's ears."

"Ah, I see. I beg your pardon. I shall take my leave. Let us be off, Gawain."

"As you wish."

Leo turns to leave before noticing me.

"It's been a while, Hakuno. Or has it? Strange, I feel as though I've already spoken to you. Perhaps I am thinking back to another time. Anyway, I've heard you passed the first round. Congratulations. Are you ready for the second round? I'd wish you luck, but…It's strange. The black knight's lance has splintered. No, perhaps he has exchanged it for a sword. If his conviction is no longer what it used to be, then perhaps you have a genuine shot at victory."

Leo doesn't bother to explain what he means before he leaves. Dan must've left while I wasn't paying attention because he is also gone. The conversation seemed to be getting more intense toward the end. I don't know what they were talking about so I can't understand.

Evening comes quickly enough. I'm still practicing using the Aromatic Wood. I can use it now, but the timing is still a little too slow for my liking. Saber chooses to speak up as my Codecast fades away, missing the mark once again.

"The noble sound of clashing metal truly slices away my frustration at that labyrinth-like Arena. Your observational powers can no longer be considered plebian. Your true capacity was this mastery! For the excellence in your commands, I commend you. I will train harder to keep pace with you! Still, Praetor, even you can be taught. The way you endlessly consume items is quite debauched! Whether with entertainment or food, it is delightful to consume! Perhaps that is why you called me forth? If so, then I urge you to be more indulgent. Bloat your corpus with excess. You only live once!"

"Thank you?"

I'm not exactly sure what I've done, but Saber seems to be pleased with my performance as her Master.

"Still… First a pirate, now a thief! It is no fault of yours, but I find this ferociously boring! The Servant of a magus I passed by was the beautiful Atalante. Greek Legendary Souls are lovely, as was that Atalante! That thief in green robes cannot compare!

Saber pouts and sits back in her makeshift throne. She takes a moment to calm down before speaking again.

"That man has a treacherous nature. And as a king, I deplore him for bearing his fangs against a nobleman. Remember this well! I dislike moderation, treachery, and ruin! He is all of those in one! It is enough to make my hair curl. Are you even listening, Praetor?!

A king, huh? I add another note to my portable terminal. I only have so much to go off of, but I'm slowly starting to piece together more and more of Saber's identity. I wish I could go to the library and gets some books that I want to check out, but Saber would through a fit if she knew that I was trying to figure out her True Name. I have a question for Saber. Though

"What kind of ruler were you?"

"Hmm? What sort of ruler was I? That is not easily stated…For my entertainment, I will have you guess. How am I reflected in your eyes?"

"A beloved idol?"

I open my mouth and say the first thing that comes to mind. Saber's short, attractive, and wears slightly revealing clothing. She also speaks and acts with an abundance of confidence and drama. I can see her singing and performing on a huge stage. Saber looks pleased with my answer.

"You mean a celebrated artist? Yes, you are exactly right, Praetor! I am an artist before an emperor! I sang songs and enjoyed writing as well! I also immersed myself in sculpting once, and metalwork!"

Saber continues listing all of the things she has done. I can see how passionate she is about the arts. Still, I wonder how popular she was if she had such a wide range of interests.

"How popular were you, Saber?"

Saber gets flustered and looks away from me.

"Hmph, how popular was I? I-I was very much in high demand! Upon a triumphant return from battle, a small girl laid a crown of flowers upon my head. I was quite popular.

"…Isn't that your popularity as a king, not your popularity as an artist?"

"W-what's with that look?! I would not lie! W-well, not every one of my works was a masterpiece, but most of them were quite fine. Perhaps my literary works were…too advanced for their time. They were eschewed by my friends. 'We are friends and I support your government, but I cannot understand eighty percent of your art!'. I nearly murdered Tacitus in an outburst of rage over that comment from my dear friend. Well, in the end, I stopped myself. I had grown accustomed to the public lacking an understanding of my art. No one understands genius. My own faith in myself is sufficient. As well as the faith of my Praetor, who places their life in my hands."

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to see for myself. I hope you will perform for me one day, Saber."

"A good response. Someday I will show you I am right. Until then, trust my words."

I can't help but think about what she says. Only an artist can truly appreciate their work. People who seek out the opinions of others are not artists, but normal craftsmen instead. Either way, I feel invigorated after speaking with Saber. I think I'll head over to the Arena and train some more for the rest of the day. I feel as if I've learned more about Saber. That makes me kind of happy, I guess. I step out into the hallway and make my way to the stairs. I'm so wrapped up in my thoughts that I almost walk right into someone who is standing in the middle of the hallway. The person bows and speak to me.

**A/N:**

**Chapter 6 is done! Hey everybody, I'm sorry that I didn't update this story last week. I've just been kind of out of it for a while. I also bought a Nintendo Switch Lite and I've been playing it nonstop for the past week. Thank you for waiting. I'm planning on putting out two chapters this week to make up for it, so please look forward to that. I also found out that the word "SERAPH" was being deleted. I'm not sure if it was only me, but I had to go back and rewrite it so it would show up. So, if anyone was wondering why there was just ".PH", that's why. I also found out that Grammarly does not like the words "really" and "actually". Anyway, once again, thank you for waiting, and for reading. See you again soon.**


	7. Forest of Lost Souls Part II

Chapter 7: Forest of Lost Souls Part II

"Good day. I believe that this is our first time to actually converse like normal people, is it not? My name is Rani. Like you, I am here for the purpose of obtaining the Holy Grail."

I recognize her from before the prelims. Rani Atlasia. A foreigner with light brown skin and lavender hair and eyes. This is the first time that we've spoken and I'm not sure what to think. Her calm voice and blank expression give no indication as to what her intentions are. As an enemy Master, she may be trying to assess a potential opponent. She continues speaking after seeing that I don't respond.

"I've been scanning the stars for clues about you. Unlike the other Masters, you are an enigma. So, I wish to ask you directly, and please answer honestly, this question: What are you?"

I'm taken aback by this strange girl and her even stranger question.

"My name is Hakuno Kishinami. Nice to meet you."

"I was afraid that's how you'd respond."

The look of disappointment that Rani gave me was physically painful. Somehow, I had answered incorrectly and made her upset.

"So, you will hide your identity? Even after exposing yourself to Blackmore's Servant yesterday."

What?! She saw me?! As far as I know, only the opposing Masters and their Servants can enter into the same Arena. There shouldn't have been anyone besides me and my opponent.

"No need to be suspicious. I assure you, I'm not your enemy. I did not watch your battle. I am simply relaying what it is the stars say about you. I'm looking for the newborn chick my professor spoke of. The stars have aided me in that task."

She keeps mentioning the stars. Maybe she's just an astrologer. Either way, she doesn't seem to be hiding anything.

"I must study the heavens further. But I must ask you to tell me more about Blackmore's star. It may seem like I'm asking for a lot, but the knowledge revealed will benefit you, I think. As per Atlas, I wish to show you the true value of knowledge and will share my findings. I'll use you and you'll use me. What do you think? Will you accept my request?"

"You discovered me on your own?"

I'm so confused right now. Before I can even think about her offer, I need to find out how she knows so much about me. Surprisingly, Saber is the one who answers my question.

"Why are you surprised? This is a war of information, after all. You are far too easy to read. You must remember that we are not the only ones striving to obtain information."

"I apologize. But to understand my professor's words, I must first understand humanity. This is what she said: As a doll, you must find someone who is truly alive and observe them. I believe that she wants me to find out, by watching humans, what it means to be alive. I don't know if you are the one, but perhaps your star will shine apart from the others. I must observe other people. You, and Blackmore as well. That is why I need your help. Please bring me a relic of his. I will be waiting at the far end of the third-floor hallway. When you come to see me, we will gaze into the heavens together. I'm sure you see the value in learning what Blackmore's star will have to say, right? The best time to read his star will come in three days. Please find a relic of his by then. Until we meet again."

With that, she turns her attention toward the window and gazes out at the digital sky. I'm not sure what to make of Rani's offer, but I suppose that it couldn't hurt to see what happens. I'm not making much headway on figuring out who Dan's Servant is as it is. Speaking of Dan's Servant, Dan mentioned something about a "yew tree". I head over to the library and browse through their collection before I find a book that catches my eye. I open it up and start reading. The yew tree, also known as the Llangernyw Yew. Though most of its fruit is edible, its seeds contain the poison taxine and are fatal if ingested. It's not as helpful as I thought it would be. How disappointing.

I head downstairs to the Arena as I had originally planned. If I'm going to find anything of Dan's, the Arena would be a good place to start. On the first floor is Ms. Fujimura who sees me and waves me over.

"Hakuno, would you be a dear and help me once again?"

"Sure."

"Excellent. A friend of mine gave me a book as a gift and it seems that it has somehow ended up in the Arena by mistake. Please retrieve it within two days or it will be deleted as a system error."

I nod my head and continue on my way. I head over to the Nurse's Office to go and see Sakura. Thankfully, she's awake when I arrive.

"Hello, Senpai. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Sakura. I just came to see you. I haven't gotten to see you since the end of the first round."

Sakura seems much colder than before and I can't help but wonder if somethings wrong.

"Are you alright, Sakura? You're being kind of quiet, today."

"It's nothing, Senpai. I'm just a feeling a little frustrated, is all. Here you go Senpai. Please take this."

Sakura walks over to me and hands me another Pure Ether. She pauses for a moment and stares up at me. She gazes intensely into my eyes and opens her mouth to speak before sighing and going back to work. I want to say something, but I don't have time to lose if I want to beast Dan. I just hope nothing is wrong with Sakura.

My next stop is the chapel. I walk in and see the Aozaki sisters in their usual places. We chat for a little bit before Aoko performs an Alteration. Once we're done, I see that Saber has unlocked another one of her skills. Très Fontaine Claudeo: Fountain of the Saint Who Tends Wounds. It's a defensive skill that will cloak Saber in a fire that heals her and injures enemies. Surprisingly, Touko speaks to me for the first time since I've met her.

"Gotten used to the Alterations yet? Good. Your Servant should be closer to what they once were. They've been weakened by their Master's rank. You'd better get them back ASAP."

"In a world of oddities, Touko speaking with a lowly Master is the oddest. Must be the e-cigs."

"Exactly! No coffee, no tobacco, and I'm forced to spend my das with a mouth-breathing imbecile! Only the insane could enjoy being trapped here. I can't wait to ditch this body."

Touko continues to rant, but the thing that catches my attention is the words she said. "Ditch this body"? What does that mean?

"Did I mumble? Once a magus enters the SERAPH, they can't leave until they get the Holy Grail. But I'm not a Master, meaning that I'm pretty much trapped here unless I take drastic measures. Like creating a version of myself that'll self-destruct once my business with the SERAPH is done."

I'm not sure what she means, but I get that she's pretty intense. Aoko speaks up.

"Ignore her She's just a twisted degenerate who showers what little emotion she has on her dolls. The difference between her and her copies are minuscule. Think about the difference between genius and…Anyway, just take everything she says with a boatload of salt."

Before the two can start arguing again, I thank Aoko and hurry towards the Arena. The familiar grid-like walls fill my vision as I take a cautious step forward. Thankfully, it doesn't seem like there is another poison barrier inside of the Arena. I'm not sure whether Dan's Servant decided to follow his Master's orders, but either way, I'm glad. It's one less thing that I have to worry about. Saber and I search through the Arena for anything that we can find that looks related to Dan and his Servant. Eventually, we manage to find three things that look like they might work. An Antique Arrowhead, a Broken Arrow, and some Feather Fletching.

"Umu. We have successfully gathered the items that the girl wanted, Praetor. If she speaks the truth, we will be closer to uncovering his identity."

I wonder how exactly Rani is going to use these items to help me. I grab the book that Ms. Fujimura wanted; to my surprise, it looks like a children's book. She did say that it was a gift. We exit the Arena after defeating some more enemies. The Alteration has made us as strong as the Fang enemies now. I'm not sure how Dan's Servant will fight, but at least Saber isn't almost dying after fighting those things. We get back to campus and go to sleep to rest up for tomorrow.

The next day starts normally enough. I wake up and practice my Codecasts until noon before taking a break and going for a walk.

"Praetor, for some reason, I feel uneasy at the prospect of you walking around the school."

"Don't worry, Saber. I'll be careful."

I have a bad feeling about this. The feeling gets worse as I overhear some Masters talking about how the entire first floor of the school is empty. I don't like it, but I don't have a choice. The tension in the air is so thick, you could cut it with a knife. All of the hairs on my body are standing up and I can't relax at all.

"Saber, get ready."

"Yes, Praetor."

The moment I step onto the first floor, I feel a chill run down my spine.

"Praetor, do not turn around. Should you do so, your fate is sealed."

"What should I do, Saber?"

The words leave my mouth in a hushed whisper. Why does it seem like I'm the only one with these kinds of problems? I haven't heard anything about another Master being attacked on campus.

"Stay calm, Praetor. Do nothing to draw attention to yourself. Be prepared to move toward the Arena as soon as you are ready to."

"Okay. Three…Two…One… "

"Praetor, run!"

Saber and I make a break for the Arena and quickly enter inside. Before I can take a moment to calm myself, Saber speaks.

"It's too soon to relax, Praetor. I still sense that someone is out for our blood. Let us continue to run. Hmph, this hero is rather roguish, menacing us from the shadows. I enjoy the hunt, but not being hunted. We must find a position to retaliate from!"

You don't have to tell me twice. We run through the halls of the Arena before reaching a large, open space. I know I have to keep running, but I'm almost out of steam. Before I can catch my breath, a voice calls out to me from somewhere else.

"So called that. Thanks for being such an easy-to-read Master."

I hear the sharp twang of a bowstring as Saber swings her sword to intercept it.

"He shot an arrow at us. He is a smart one, shooting from our blind spot. However—"

Saber stops talking as I kneel in pain. I look at my arm to see a small gash. The fabric of my blazer is torn and the exposed skin is slowly becoming purple. Saber managed to stop the surprise attack, but there was another arrow in the shadow of the first one. The only way he could have enough skill to fire two arrows in succession with enough accuracy to account for my movements is if—.

"Two arrows?! Both laden with poison. The enemy is an Archer!"

Saber finishes my thought for me as the poison starts to course through my system. It's a struggle to stay conscious, but I have to move. I have to give credit where it's due, that Servant is a good shot. There no way he isn't an Archer. From where we are right now, it should be a straight path toward the Arena's exit. I get back on my feet and will myself to work through the pain. Saber follows behind me closely, defending my back. Dan's Servant, Archer, calls out to me again.

"Damn you're a stubborn kid. Sorry about this, but I 'm going to have to put an arrow in your back. Goodbye—"

Archer is cut off as a loud explosion echoed throughout the Arena. What happened?

"What the hell?! What's going on?!"

The only thing that answers back is the sound of more explosions. Whatever is happening behind us, I'm grateful. I can see the exit to the Arena now. My vision starts to get dark and I feel myself stumble as I start to fall.

"Hold on, Praetor! We're almost there!"

The last thing that I remember is Saber carrying me back onto campus as I am rushed toward the Nurse's Office. I barely hear the sound of Sakura surprised cry as everything fades to black.

The next time I open my eyes, I'm staring up at the ceiling of the Nurse's Office once again. Looking outside, it appears to be morning right now. Saber appears beside me with a concerned look on her face.

"Praetor, you have awakened. Thank goodness."

"Saber, what happened?"

"I do not know. The enemy Servant seems to be an Archer with poison arrows at his disposal. That gray-haired knight is not as venerable as I imagined! He has been corrupted by the Holy Grail. Forgive me, Praetor. Now is not the time to speak ill of the enemy. Not when you are the one in trouble here. A Master's pact with the Moon Cell limits their experience of physical functions on school grounds. That purple-haired nurse has done a good job eliminating the poison. The pain will disappear soon, but you should rest some more."

Saber vanishes from sight, but I can still feel her presence nearby. Sakura walks into the Nurse's Office after a while. She runs over to me and hugs me while crying.

"Senpai! You're okay! I was so worried when your Servant brought you into the Nurse's Office. Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

"I'm fine, Sakura. I'm sorry for worrying you so much. Somehow, it seems like I keep coming back to the Nurse's Office when I don't mean to. Thank you for taking care of me when I was out of it."

"I'm just glad you're okay, Senpai! If anything happened to you…I don't know what I would do."

Sakura buries her face in my chest as she continues to cry. To think she had been upset with me before. Maybe I was just overthinking things. I gently pat her back and try to calm her down.

"Sakura, can you do me a favor? I'm kind of hungry right now. Could you please go and get me something to eat?"

"Oh! Okay, Senpai! I'll go get something right now!"

I hand her my terminal so she can use my money to get something. I wasn't exactly kidding when I said I was hungry. It feels like my stomach is about to collapse in on itself with how empty it feels. Maybe part of my brain is telling me that if I eat something, I'll feel better. Either way, Sakura leaves the Nurse's Office as someone else walks in. It's Dan and his Servant. I sit up in my bed and prepare myself for whatever they are planning. Are they here to finish the job?

"I've destroyed the Noble Phantasm, the source of the poisoned arrows. Their effects should disappear. Please, accept this as a token of my apology, if only to humor me."

What?

"And Archer, I'm disappointed in your use of underhanded tactics, loosed without my permission. To break the sovereign rules of the battlefield is to sunder the fabric of your character. This war is between individuals, not countries. There is no longer any need to resort to savagery."

Dan's words are solemn and spoken without a trace of doubt in his voice. Even Archer seems surprised at his Master's words.

"Archer. Your Master, Dan Blackmore, commands you with the force of a Command Seal. I hereby prohibit any attacks on enemy Masters with your Yew Bow while on campus."

"What?! Are you crazy, boss?! I thought you wanted this to be an easy win?!"

A red flash erupts from Dan's right hand.

"Of course. And I will not lose. My victory is the natural outcome of the situation. However, Archer, I speak only to my own resolve. My fight and yours are separate. There are circumstances in which we may not win. My victory is not the same as yours."

Archer remains silent. He is just as stunned as I am by the recent turn of events. My enemy just ordered his Servant to fight fairly against me. I have no idea what Dan is thinking. To be honest, I can't help but feel sympathetic for Archer, who seems completely lost. Dan turns to face me before speaking directly to me.

"Please understand that my Servant acted improperly and against my deepest wishes. I intend to grasp victory only on the battlefield proper. I hope you can forgive this incident."

With that, Dan turns around and walks away. Archer lingers for a moment before vanishing and presumably following after him. Saber appears beside me, having been silent and ready all this time.

"Hmph. I retract what I said before. This man is worthy of the title of knight. He proved his honor by apologizing with a Command Seal and revealing the name of his Noble Phantasm. I am impressed by his warrior's spirit, though he is naïve to be so honorable! Fortunately for the knight, we too desire an honorable fight!"

"I feel the same way. Saber, can you go to the library and get me whatever you can find about the Yew Bow? And also…no, let's wait and see before we assume too much."

"Praetor! Are you asking me to leave you alone and defenseless?!"

"You heard him, Saber. Dan seemed completely serious about his command and I doubt Archer can go and disobey a Command Seal. Please, I can't go with you, so just trust me okay?"

"Hmph. Very well then, Praetor! Rest and gather your strength. I will gather the knowledge you seek in the meantime."

Saber heads out of the Nurse's Office to the second floor and I breath easier. I need to be alone to think about some things. The sound of the door opening catches my attention and another familiar face walks in. It's Hakuno.

"Hey there, Kishinami. How are you doing? I heard you got attacked while on campus and came to see if you're alright."

"I'm doing fine. Thank you for taking the time to come and see me. Also, 'Kishinami'?"

"Well, it'd be weird if we called each other 'Hakuno', right? This makes things much easier. You can call me 'Hakunon'. It's cute, don't you think?"

"Well, I guess so."

"Right? Well, I have to get going now. Mr. Hero is getting on my case about coming to see you. I'll talk to you again when you get better, okay?"

I wave goodbye as Hakunon leaves the Nurse's Office. I'm going to go ahead and assume that "Mr. Hero" is what she calls her Servant. Well, it was nice to see her again. Sakura returns with a bag full of various sandwiches and premade meals as Saber also comes back with a stack of books in hand. The two of them sit nearby as I open one of the premade meals and start skimming through the books that Saber brought back.

The only thing to make note of is that Yew trees are said to have many mystical and religious connotations attributed to them within Celtic beliefs. The act of making a bow from the wood of a Yew tree is considered to be a contract to "Become one with the forest". I sigh as I finish eating. The information is too general to make any conclusions right now. I already have an idea of who Dan's Servant might be, but it's better to wait and see in case I'm wrong. I thank Sakura before laying back down in bed and letting my body rest.

Thankfully, Sakura clears me to leave once the day passes into the evening. Good, I can't afford to be out of it for much longer. My terminal chimes and displays the announcement I was waiting for.

[The secondary cipher key has been generated.]

The first thing I do is head upstairs to see Rani and make sure that I have everything that she needs.

"You've brought the relic? Let me see. This is sufficient. Next, we will view the stars tomorrow, when there will be many visible. I wish you well in recovering from your injury."

She must have read my star again. I hope that won't be a problem if we end up facing each other in the next rounds. When I head back down to the first floor, Ms. Fujimura is waiting there for me.

"Oh, Hakuno! I heard what happened. Are you alright now? Does it still hurt?"

"I'm okay Ms. Fujimura. Thank you for asking. Here is your book."

"Thank you, Hakuno. I can always count on you to help. Speaking of, can I ask you another favor? My friend seems to have misplaced their glasses. Can you check the Arena and see if you can find them?"

"Sure."

"Wonderful! I promise to give you a special reward for helping me so much."

She saunters off as I take a deep breath. Nothing left for me to do but go to the Arena and get the Trigger. I enter into the Arena on the second floor that was just opened up. Just like the first Arena, structures are floating around just outside of the Arena's walls. Instead of ships, there appears to be a large number of collapsed buildings floating around. A broken-down castle is the only structure that seems to be locked into place. It looks like a town after an earthquake has hit. The columns and arches and bridges lying around look like they're from Greek or Roman architecture, or maybe from Britain.

"A Coliseum submerged under the sea! Umu! Its beauty is dazzling!"

"Let's go, Saber."

The enemies are the same as the first floor, but there are Wasp and Horn enemies on this floor as well. We easily make our way through the Arena and get the Trigger as well as the glasses that Ms. Fujimura was looking for. The glasses have a gray, square frame. They look like reading glasses. I also manage to obtain another Mystic Code as well. A Fortune Key. It seems like it will increase the target's Luck. I pocket it and we head toward the exit and step back onto campus. It seems that Dan was telling the truth when he ordered Archer to fight fairly. There was no sign of them anywhere in the Arena. Saber and I head back to our room and go to bed. Tomorrow, we'll see if Rani was telling the truth.

It's the fifth day of the second week now. I have to go and meet up with Rani later today and see what she can find out about Dan and his Servant. I decided to head over to the Chapel to do another Alteration and when I get there, I see Dan sitting on one of the benches inside. His eyes are closed and his hands are clasped together. He lifts his head up and looks toward me.

"Sorry about yesterday. I do think the fact that your wound did not threaten your life is a silver lining, however."

Saber is the one who responds first.

"Sir Knight, I care nothing about your Servant, but I am impressed by your behavior. However, it concerns me greatly that you chose to use a Command Seal to assist us."

"Yes, I have been questioning my actions as well. To use one of the three Command Seals given to me to help my enemy of all things…"

Command Seals. The three absolute commands allowed to Masters in the Holy Grail War. If it's within the rules, they can guarantee any action that the Master desire of their Servant, even at the cost of their free will. My eyes fall to my left hand. The three crimson-red sigils that were burned onto my hand during the preliminaries are still there. I look to Dan's right hand. Only two segments of the Command Seal were left on his hand. Dan notices my gaze and continues speaking.

"But it was the right thing to do. Also, I'm here on behalf of her Majesty, the Queen. It has been a long time since…No, this is the first time a fight has been for personal reasons. As a soldier, I'd have praised Archer's actions. As a knight, I must condemn them. And as I did, I could almost feel as if the spirit of my wife approved, and was proud of me."

"So, he had a wife."

Saber speaks in a hushed tone and a pained look flashed across her face. Dan seems to have heard her and he settles into a small smile before frowning.

"It's the same story every old man has. It's been so long I've even forgotten the sound of her voice. It's an obvious truth. As a soldier, one is required to abide by military regulations. There are no allowances made for even one such as myself to go beyond what is permitted. You should take care too. The ends don't always justify the means. Regret is an insidious thing. If you let it, it will blind you to the future and all it holds. So, know this young man: I will never condone and conduct that would stain my conscience. It's odd that I'd speak like this to you. You'd do well to laugh at the musings of this old man."

Dan stops speaking as I take it all in. I see. For Dan, beyond the journey itself, the path to the Grail lies in dignity and self-respect. He closes his eyes and clasps his hands again. He must be sending another prayer. To his wife, most likely. I should leave now. I can come back later. As we walk out of the Chapel, I can't help but look back toward Dan, who is hunched over in prayer. Doubt creeps into my mind. Am I really willing to kill this man? After learning more about him, I honestly can't bring myself to ignore the person he is than think of him as my enemy. Saber is the one who snaps me out of my stupor.

"Praetor, is it not the fifth day? We should go and see that girl, Rani, and hear what information she has to share. Now that we have her cooperation, we should definitely speak with her on a regular basis."

"You're right, Saber. Thanks for reminding me."

I push past my thoughts and focus on the matter at hand. I need to go and see Rani. I pass through the outdoor garden and head back inside the school building. It only takes me a couple of minutes to reach the third floor. Rani is standing at the end of the hallway, staring out of the window into the digital sky. She turns and sees me before speaking.

"Good day. I see you've brought something of Sir Blackmore's, as I had requested. I give you my thanks. You brought it at the right time as I can read Sir Blackmore's star today."

Rani claimed that she wanted to learn more about people and humanity. I wonder if what I'm doing is really okay. Having another Master help me to this degree, knowing that we may have to fight later, makes me uneasy. At most, the only help I've received is biting commentary from Rin and support from Sakura.

"My professor's words are my guide. She told me specifically to learn about humans. So please put your mind at ease. You have nothing to worry about from me. Learning more about Sir Blackmore will help your cause as well, correct? With this…"

She mumbles as she examines the reconstructed arrow that we found in the Arena. She closes her eyes and turns her gaze towards the sky. Is she starting now?

"The fate of which the stars speak, you can learn many things if you simply open your mind. The star which governs Sir Blackmore's Servant shines brightly in the heavens today.

Time seems to freeze as the hallway we are in fades away and is replaced by the image of the night sky. It's beautiful. Billions of stars are blanketed all around Rani and me as she grabs a hold of my hand. One star, in particular, catches my attention. It's brighter than the others and shines a brilliant dark-emerald color. Is that Archer's star? I have no idea what I'm looking at, but I believe Rani now. Saber seems completely enamored as well.

"Astrology, is it? I can see various stars around us, but they only confuse and rankle me. However, I am curious about her 'professor'. As for this girl's motives, I wish to know more. For today only, I shall feign ignorance on this matter of the stars."

Rani seems to have found something because she starts speaking again in some sort of trance.

"I find myself in a…forest? It's deep, dark…An incredibly…dark color. At times a harbinger of infamy…A life spent in darkness…Admiration mixed with trepidation, the color of the solitary path he walks. His green-clad form blends in with the forest. He snipes his enemies from the shadows."

It seems that Archer's way of life created a Noble Phantasm that would conceal him. A life that consisted of hiding in the darkness, shooting his enemies from afar. No wonder he's at odds with Dan. Their lives were far too different, to begin with. If that's the case, why did Dan summon him as his Servant?

"I agree. I think that there must be some sort of longing hidden deep in his soul. A desire to live an honest life, out in the full light and warmth of the sun."

The idea I have in my head has just become more relevant. Saber seems to have come to some conclusion as well.

"I think I understand now. Our foe could only play the role of hero, but never be one himself."

I can't help but wonder about Saber. Does she have bad memories of her past as well.? Rani speaks again in the same hushed tone as before.

"This may not be the one that I am searching for…To say clearly, I'm not sure though. Longing is the reason for this fissure. This is something told to me by my professor, a part of humans that I understand. I can feel him deep within the second floor of the Arena. Maybe you should talk to him directly."

Rani bows again before looking back out to the sky once again. The strange vision that I saw vanishes instantly and I am standing back in the hallway of the third floor. It looks like I'll have to go and see for myself who Archer is. I turn to Saber and nod my head before we head downstairs to the Arena.

**A/N:**

**Hey everybody, Chapter 7 is done. I'm trying to find a balance of some sort. Shinji and Rider's arc lasted like four chapters, while this arc Seems like it will only be three at most. Well, what can you do? Anyway, I just started a New Game + file in Fate/Extra so I don't have to look at playthroughs every time. I got to say though, It's kind of weird playing through the game again with all of the battle data and Mystic Codes from the start. Like, I almost killed Shinji and Rider without meaning to before the Elimination Battle. Maybe if I had put more stats into Strength. It's annoying when the enemies don't run at you anymore because you already have their battle data and it's not even complete either. I'm at the place where I'm at in this story and I'm Level 17, which is probably over-level. I also have six more points I can put in. I started playing again to make sure that I wasn't missing any optional events that the playthroughs I was watching missed. Thanks for reading. Hope to see you again soon.**


	8. Forest of Lost Souls Part III

**Chapter 8: Forest of Lost Souls Part III**

Saber and I head downstairs to the first floor. If we're going to confront Dan and Archer, we need to be prepared for whatever they throw at us. Dan only limited his Servant while on campus. Once we enter the Arena, they won't be holding back. We head to the Commissary to buy some Remedy and I take out the Aromatic Wood.

"Cure."

A flash of light surrounds Saber in before disappearing. Good, I think I've managed to get it down faster. I take out my terminal and examine my latest Mystic Code, the Fortune Key. It's a silver skeleton key with a string tied through the ring so I can wear it around my neck. I'm not too sure what increasing Saber's Luck will do, but I need to use everything at my disposal if I want to win. I put the Fortune Key around my neck and hide it underneath my shirt before looking at Saber. She nods before we enter the Arena.

"Praetor, I feel their presence nearby. I do not doubt that they're here. Now that they've been given a penalty, this is a good opportunity to attack them."

I nod as we head deeper into the Arena. As much as I would prefer talking to my opponent, it seems much more likely that we'll have to fight them. We walk past the enemy programs and head directly toward where Dan and his Servant are. They are in one of the more spacious rooms, right before the exit to the Arena. I wonder why they didn't just leave, instead of waiting for us. As expected, they don't look surprised to see us. Archer keeps his eyes on us while speaking to Dan.

"What do we do now, boss? They did appear right in front of us. "

Saber stands ready as she narrows her gaze at Dan and Archer. Time to see if Rani's information was worth our time.

"Hmph. It seems as if you do not understand plain speech. Hide away like the scurrying mouse you are. If you choose not to cower in the shadows, you will not escape my blade, you know."

"You're one to talk. Who was the one hiding in the shadows before? But no worries, feel free to hide wherever you wish."

"You are capable of great jocularity. The only one who feels the need to hide is you, hunter of the gloomy forest."

The surprise on Archer's face is obvious to everyone. He becomes flustered and I can tell he's struggling to hold it together. Saber continues her verbal attack on him without pause.

"Hiding while mortal, hiding now in this vast sea, you have nothing of value save your skills at subterfuge. But you're fine with that, aren't you Archer? In this battle, there is nothing for you to protect. How about you try for a certain amount of gravity and decorum now? I will gladly hear you out."

"Ha! I have no idea what sort of halcyon days you lived in…But you really seem to enjoy talking down to others, pompous queen. I will hide myself just as you asked. Now experience the slaughter of the Sherwood Forest!"

Archer readies his arm-mounted bow and looks ready to murder us. Dan chooses this moment to intervene and speak to his Servant.

"Calm yourself, Archer. Your behavior is completely out of character."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Sir Bossman, your request is kind of a pain in the ass, you know? You do realize who I am, don't you? Asking me to fight toe-to-toe…Are you drunk or something? I don't get it. If you take out the element of surprise, what else is there left for me? My looks, maybe? My sweet, handsome face? Alas, its powers only work on simple village lasses!"

"You wish to complain? Is your prowess as a hunter so dependent upon the power of the Faceless King?"

"Ah, no, well. I mean…Even I get nervous around that, okay? I do have pride in my archery skill, though."

"Then fight with that in mind. A sniper such as myself would know more than anyone else about your skills. And what I know would send chills through most people. I have confidence in you, Archer."

Archer turns and faces us now. His face is completely devoid of his previous rage. It seems we were wrong about their relationship. They seem to understand each other.

"…It's not like I have a choice. I disapprove of all of this, but I will obey. He is my Master, after all. Fortunately for me, my opponent is a mere chick. I rarely attack directly, but it shouldn't matter in this case."

Saber huffs and speaks up in my defense.

"Are you insinuating that my Master is a hatchling? You know not your place, though your words befit a mere Archer. It is alright; I will not complain of the excitement added to this droll fight with a frail man. You will recant your haughtiness when I have your liver on my blade."

"And you say I'm the haughty one? Hey little boy, you need to put a muzzle on your pet. When it comes to regrets, I've already been done that road. I don't care anymore. Besides, are you telling me to regret winning? What kind of reverse psychology are you playing at?"

"What a spectacle you are. How I will enjoy making an arrogant braggart like you eat crow. But I am benevolent. I will grant your worthless life some glory by personally defeating you."

"Damn, kid. This pampered king of yours is less a gaudy lapdog and more a feral pooch…Aha! I think I understand now. Let me guess, you're big on athletic competitions and such, right?"

"Umu. I adore them So much that I would be participating in them right now if I were not preoccupied."

"Yup, as I thought. You're completely immune to sarcasm. Well, since you're an aristocrat, after I tear you a new hole, I'll make sure to line it with lace."

It seems that they are done talking now as the two of them get ready to fight. Saber rushes forward and swings her sword at Archer, who rolls to the side before firing his bow at her. It doesn't work, however. Since the battle with Rider and the attack before, Saber seems to have acclimated to Archer's firing speed and attack patterns. Archer looks surprised too as he pulls his cloak in front of him and blocks an attack from Saber. He must be lining it with his magical energy because that green fabric doesn't tear or crumble under the weight of Saber's swing.

"Gain Strength!"

Dan's voice catches my attention as he performs a Codecast on Archer. Archer smiles and goes on the offensive against Saber. They are pretty much even now, thanks to that Codecast. The Saint's Monocle alerts me as Archer rolls away from Saber and puts his fist to the ground.

"Wall of Thorns!"

A tangled wall of vines and thorns spring out of the ground and hit Saber, pushing her back next to me. There doesn't seem to be any poison affecting Saber. That attack seemed to be mostly magical damage. The Phoenix Scarf glows as I extend my hand and place it on Saber's back.

"Heal!"

"Umu. Thank you, Praetor! Pavilion of Falling Flowers, Rosa Ichthys!"

"Wall of Thorns!"

The crimson blade of light erupts from Saber's sword and flies right at Archer. He summons another Wall of Thorns to take the hit before rolling out to the side.

"Poison Arrow!"

He tries to fire and poisoned arrow at Saber, but she is no longer standing next to me. She is above us in the air, having jumped up to launch a surprise attack.

"Fountain of the Blazing Saint, Très Fontaine Ardent!"

An explosion of fire engulfs Archer as Dan uses an item to heal him and put out the flames. A flash of light appears next to Dan as a sniper rifle drops into his hands.

"Archer, keep going. I will cover you."

"Thanks, boss."

"Praetor!"

Archer charges forward, coming toward us from the side as Dan fires at us from afar. Saber is too busy deflecting Dan's bullets, which are aimed at me, to do anything about Archer. Luckily, I'm ready for him as he readies to fire another arrow.

"Hack!"

Archer is stunned as the Exorcist Blade fires out a pulse of electricity. He freezes in place and grimaces.

"Rosa Ichthys!"

Saber fires another blade of magical energy, hitting the stunned Archer and setting him on fire once again as the area turns red and my terminal announces a familiar message.

[Message from the SERAPH – Terminating hostilities]

Archer manages to put himself out and return to Dan's side. He looks exhausted as he speaks.

"I'm tired of this. Really, this whole deal is totally a waste of time and effort."

"I will not allow vulgar and petulant language, Archer. As my Servant, I wish for you to behave as a knight."

"Ugh. You sure are suffocating, Mr. Bossman. I know, I know. Foul play and stuff are a no-no. Jeez., cut my arms and legs off already. Ever heard of these things people have called personalities? Well, if I have to, the best archers can shoot with their teeth. Ha, pretty hardcore! All right, I'll be your knight in shining armor. I'm not so hot at being a knight, but I'm not too bad with a lance."

"Excellent spirit. We are already en route to our next battlefield. Do not let your focus sway."

The two vanish in a flash of light and Saber and I are left alone inside of the Arena. Saber relaxes before speaking.

"We seemed to have made it through intact, Praetor. He spoke of his home. Sherwood Forest. It was a bit vague, but the astrology reading from that Rani person did come in handy."

Dan also mentioned something about a Faceless King. Is that a skill or maybe even another Noble Phantasm? Either way, we should return to campus and rest up. There isn't any reason to stay in the Arena any longer. We step back to campus without incident and go directly to our room. Saber sits on her makeshift throne as I examine my notes again.

"Praetor, may I have a word with you?"

"Yes?"

"The events in the Arena today trouble me. That old knight is willing to fight alongside his Servant. He will most certainly attack you again."

"I know, Saber. I have something in mind. I'll have to go and check something out tomorrow."

"Umu. So, you do have something prepared. I feared that you may be unprotected while I deal with that rogue. I trust you will not disappoint, Praetor."

Saber gets up out of her seat and goes to bed. The battle in the Arena…Dan proved how skilled he was by making Saber block his shots. Even though modern weapons aren't effective against Servants, his ability to fire rapidly and accurately is a problem. Even though Servants fight battles in the Holy Grail War, there is nothing that says that a Master cannot fight alongside them. That's probably the way it should be in the first place. At least, I think so. Dan seems to as well.

Even though Saber is my sword, I am the one who wields that sword. I need to start pulling my weight, otherwise, we'll lose. I take out my terminal and take out all of my Mystic Codes and lay them on the floor in front of me. I did tell Saber that I had a plan to deal with Dan, but I'm going to need to keep working on it. I take out the gun that I had gotten from Rider after we beat her. No matter how many times I've tried to use it, it won't fire. I look at the Mystic Codes in front of me and get to work. I only have one more day until the Elimination Battle. Can I really beat a trained sniper and his Archer Servant?

It's noon on the sixth day, Saber and I are relaxing in our room. I spent the whole night working on transforming Rider's pistol into a Mystic Code that I can use. I have no idea if it will actually work or not. We'll have to go into the Arena and test it out to see. Saber looks at me as I examine the pistol for any mistakes or missing parts before speaking.

"Tomorrow is the day of the Elimination Battle. Since the enemy already used a Command Seal to our benefit, I doubt we will have much trouble. Still, in order to protect you, Praetor, I may need to display my true abilities."

Is she talking about her Noble Phantasm? We'll need to use it eventually but…I can see a flash of hesitation in her features.

"If you don't want to, Saber, I won't force you."

"No, that is a frivolous thought. I'm the blade that protects you, and I will be anything you wish."

"I don't want you to be anything you're not, Saber. We'll win, even if we don't use our Noble Phantasm."

Saber grows silent, but I can see her lips form into a small smile. I put away the pistol and get dressed for the day. Our first stop is the library. I want to go and find some books about the new information that we learned. The Faceless King, according to Celtic tradition, is when people would pray to the spirit of the forest, Jack of the Green, during the festival of Beltane. It was a prayer for the arrival of Spring. Not so helpful. Could it be some sort of protection from the spirits of the forest, maybe? Next is the Sherwood Forest. It's located near Nottingham in England and it was said that thieves made it their home at one time. A famous story about a chivalrous thief who fought John, Richard the Lionheart's brother, who ruled while his older brother fought in the Crusades. It was also believed by druids, that fairies dwelled within the Sherwood Forest as well.

I close the books I'm reading and relax. It's a lot of information to take in, but I can confirm that I know the identity of Dan's Servant, without question. I exit the library and downstairs to the first floor. Ms. Fujimura is there waiting for me as I hand over the glasses that I found in the Arena.

"Oh, thank you, Hakuno! My friend was looking for these all over. You should have seen the tantrum he threw! Here let me give you something to liven up your room. Thank you, once again."

She takes my terminal and transfers over a program that will summon some houseplants to decorate our room. I thank her before we head to the Arena and go inside. For now, we should start by making sure it works. Saber and I see a Horn enemy nearby and share a glance before approaching it. I take out the pistol and aim it at the enemy program before I whistle to get its attention. The Horn focuses its attention toward me as it digs its hooves into the floor, getting ready to charge. The second I see it move an inch forward, I activate the Mystic Code in my hand.

"Blast!"

The pistol shakes and distorts before several images float around the pistol in my hand. I pull the trigger and all of the guns fire rapidly in quick succession. The Horn enemy is peppered in gunfire as Saber rushes in to finish it off, slicing it cleanly in two.

"Umu! It seems to be working properly, Praetor!"

"All right, let's practice some more, Saber!"

It works! I managed to transform the pistol that Rider gave me into a Mystic Code by analyzing and replicating the structure and function of my other Mystic Codes in addition to the reading that I had done before. Compared to someone with higher programming skills or magical ability, my work is crude. But it still works, either way. In addition to firing normally, using magical energy as ammunition, by saying a command similar to my other Mystic Codes, it can create phantom images that fire alongside it. I added that function to make up for my lack of training and horrible aim. I'm not sure what to call it though. I'll have to come up with a name for it later. With this, I won't be too much of a liability to Saber during the Elimination Battle. I can distract Dan from interfering with Saber and now I have a way to defend myself from enemies. We finish defeating every enemy that we come across before we decide to end the day.

Saber falls into place on her makeshift throne as I examine the pistol for any problems. It would be awful if the thing breaks or stops working in the middle of the Elimination Battle. Luckily, the Saint's Monocle is surprisingly useful for examining objects as well, who knew? Saber catches my attention before speaking.

"The Elimination Battle is tomorrow. If you and I do our best, we will emerge victorious. Umu. We will not only grasp victory, but we will also pound them over the head with it!"

With that bold declaration, Saber goes to bed and closes her eyes. I can't help but feel a bit more confident about the coming battle. I think Saber is starting to rub off on me. I finish going over the pistol one more time. There aren't any problems with it that I can see at the moment. I put the pistol away inside my terminal before going to bed. Tomorrow, we will see Dan and Archer for the last time.

The next morning, Saber and I wake up early to go over all of the information that we have gathered. Dan Blackmore, a veteran soldier with decades of experience over me. He clearly has the advantage in skills and experience in battle. His Servant's class is Archer. We found that out the hard way when he fired a poisoned arrow at me inside the Arena. His skill and speed at shooting his targets leave no doubt. However, that same shot also caused a rift between the two of them. Dan forbid Archer from using his Noble Phantasm while on campus, preventing any further sneak attacks or foul play. The name of that Noble Phantasm was the Yew Bow. Its wood comes from a tree known for its poison and its mystical properties. Dan wanted his Servant to fight face-to-face, with honor and pride. Archer lived so differently in life that he couldn't understand why his Master would go so far to uphold his values. Rani helped me find out the last clue I needed to figure out his identity. The forest that Archer holds dear to him, that she showed me, was the Sherwood Forest.

There is only one Legendary Soul who was active in that location. Robin Hood. Arguably one of the most famous folk heroes or legends that existed. There is no doubt that that is who Archer is. Many believe Robin Hood to be a faceless hero born from the prayers of the people. No doubt this Robin Hood is one of many who have taken up the name in the pursuit of justice and protecting the people. Even knowing his name is a big help. Our Servants are pretty evenly matched. Even if I am lacking as a Master, our knowledge of his abilities and our strategy should help us pull through.

I head downstairs to the Chapel to do another Alteration before the Elimination Battle. The Aozaki sisters are stone-faced and don't speak other than wishing me luck. The Alteration has given Saber a new skill. Gladiusanus Blauserum: Acclaim is the Equal of Weaponry. It is a slashing attack that explodes on contact once the target is struck. Nothing left to do but go and head to the Coliseum. I see Father Kotomine standing in front of the Coliseum entrance. He speaks the same words as before, opening the elevator to the Coliseum. I step inside and come face-to-face with Dan in the darkness. The elevator lights up and everything looks the same as it did during the first round. Saber speaks up upon seeing Dan's silent figure.

"I admire that the man is made of stone; however, statues make poor conversation partners. Hey Servant. You look like a clown, so put on a little show for us. Let us see your tricks, or hear a poem."

Archer steps closer to the divider before responding.

"Huh? What's the point of talking to someone who's about to jump into their grave? Although, I'm about ready to chew my arm off to get away from grumpy here. The guy doesn't even fart without a purpose. I've given up trying to make small talk with him. Hey enemy Master, why don't you try talking to Grumplestiltskin over here?"

"Why do you fight?"

It is a simple, honest question from me to Dan. I want to know. Since I don't have a reason. Dan speaks with his arms crossed and his gaze focused on me.

"There is no 'why' in war. Once one enters the battlefield, they only fight to achieve their objective. A soldier does not need, no, cannot have, a reason to fight. That is how things were when I was a soldier. Though my life has changed since that time, I've never needed a 'why'."

Archer chooses to continue after Dan finishes speaking.

"Don't you hate it when you're right? Like I said, the guy's a steel trap. Thanks for trying to pry him open."

Saber is the one who responds to Archer's words.

"Hmph. I can respect the pride and experience of a veteran army general. He is a fine opponent. In fact, I sympathize with such a prestigious man for being saddled with an impish Legendary Soul. Are you of honorable origins? Because your Master cuts a better figure than you."

"I wish! My Master's so straitlaced that an atypical Legendary Soul like me gets tied up in knots. I'll let you in on a little secret. Not all of us Legendary Souls were noble in life. That would be boring. Oh, and on that note, careful you don't get nailed from behind again."

"Heroes do not necessarily need to be noble, but their lives must be brimming with glory and beauty. At any rate, you seem to be an Archer assassin. I have experience with conducting assassination…But my Master is not cut out for such methods. Besides, this is war, not politics."

"Heh. What's this domestic strife I'm sensing over there? You don't care for surprise attacks, Master? How far is too far? No foul play? No dirty tricks?"

"No, I don't. Maybe if I had more experience, I would answer you differently. But right now, I can't say I would be okay with those things."

"Man, you're so uptight. Good luck with that."

"Don't get carried away Archer."

"You call that getting carried away, Master?"

"Hmph. You're plundering our enemies for entertainment before the battle. Yes, that is excessive."

"Ding! Correct! If you don't like it, then go put a helmet on to match that armor and drown out the sound. But, I want to talk to our enemies. Why don't you listen in? Learn what kids these days are into. Cause if you got any more ancient, they'd have to put you in a museum."

"…Your poorly-phrased advice is duly noted, but mutual understanding will come on the battlefield."

"Ha! You have no idea how to have fun! With all this killing, killing, killing, a guy has got to unwind. A bowstring that's wound too tight snaps. Isn't that right?"

Archer glances over his shoulder toward me, looking for my answer once again.

"I have nothing against having fun."

"Right? Life's hella hard, and then you die. If you don't enjoy yourself then you'll just die miserable."

Dan speaks up in response.

"…Will you never gain the proper attitude to fight?"

"Lighten up, Master! Things should be so much easier for us if you just accepted life has funny parts. I'd go and fire on that undefended back of yours. That's how an Archer should fight. I have to be nimble on my feet. Chivalry and ideology are all stiff and would just slow me down."

"…Listen, Archer. You will fight as I direct."

"Ugh, not again. Fine, fine. I get it. Your wish is my command. Argh, that's my Master for you. He can't keep his chivalry in his pants even with a kid like you around…I just wish he understood that not everyone can take pride in their lives…"

The elevator comes to a halt. The time has come to see which one of us will come out on top.

"Let's go, Archer. The time has come to embrace the battlefield once again."

We step out of our respective exits and find ourselves in a wide, circular area. There doesn't seem to be much around us besides the collapsed walls and floating debris. Dan and Archer stand across from us.

"All will be settled here, Archer. "

"You said it. It's about time we gave this snooty princess her just desserts!"

Saber huffs and raises her swords at them.

"Princess…? Did you just call me a princess? You won't leave this place alive! That's empress to you! I am a grown woman! I hold you accountable if my Master addresses me as 'princess'."

"Uh, that's the part you found offensive? Aren't you a little too gung-ho about your Master?"

"Quiet, you! How dare you insinuate something when I am not resolved on the matter myself!"

"Okay…"

"…That's right. My Master is mediocre in both performance and appearance. Though, I suppose my Master's efforts up to this point deserve praise. To see a commoner rise against the mighty sets my heart racing! My Master is out of your Master's league. Your Master is already as good as dead. Because my Master, in spite of his lack of experience, works so hard. And looks adorable trying! You may think my Master is a chick; with me by his side, my Master will grow into a big, strong bird. But your Master…Dying raven, do you even have the strength to fly?"

Dan speaks up upon hearing Saber's question.

"Your insight is keen. I hear you were a tyrant in life, but I see you deserve to be a Legendary Soul."

"…Don't be so humble, Master. You've got a wish too. No one has the right to scoff at that. Shut your trap, Saber! Unless you want me to nail your tongue to the floor with an arrow!"

"I'm relieved by your words. Beneath your impudence, you care for your Master as deeply as I care for mine! Whenever you're ready, hunter. I shall raze your Sherwood Forest!"

Archer doesn't say a word as he darts to the side and fires arrows at us. Saber deflects them with ease as I pull out Rider's pistol. I point it at Dan, who is about to fire at us as well and shoot at him. His surprise is obvious as he dives out of the way and aims again. His experience on the battlefield allows him to adapt to the surprise attack and get into a favorable position behind some debris. I do the same as Saber goes to intercept Archer. I take out the Exorcist Blade and activate it.

"Hack!"

Saber strikes at Archer, who is now stunned, with incredible speed. She manages to get a few hits in before Dan starts firing at her, forcing her to back off. Archer manages to recover and continue his attack. Saber swings at him with powerful strikes that he barely avoids, taking some superficially cuts across his arms and legs. Dan shifts his focus to me and begins sniping at me from across the Coliseum, keeping me from providing support to Saber. Does he really think that Archer can beat Saber in a one-e-on-one fight? The moment I think, Archer calls out his skill.

"Poison Arrow!"

The arrow clips Saber in the arm as she continues to press her attack. She takes the opportunity to get a clean hit on Archer.

"Acclaim is the Equal of Weaponry, Gladiusanus Blauserum!"

"Damn it! Holy Bow of Supplication, Yew Bow!"

The cut across Archer's chest erupts into flame. He grits his teeth and fires off a couple more shots. A tree grows from below Saber and explodes into a cloud of poison. Saber cries out in pain. I want to help Saber, but Dan is covering him by focusing his attention on me. I open my ears and listen for the thing that I am waiting for. I hear a click as Dan's gun runs out of ammunition. Now's my chance! I fire from cover and activate my Mystic Code.

"Blast!"

The single shot from my pistol becomes many as the debris that Dan is taking cover behind is peppered with magic-infused rounds that pierce through the rubble. I hear Dan groan in pain. I must have hit him.

"Boss?!"

"Where are you looking?!"

Saber sends Archer flying across the Coliseum with a powerful swing. Now's my chance.

"Cure! Heal! Gain Luck!"

I burn through my magical energy to heal Saber and give her a bonus. Archer fires more arrows at Saber, but they either miss or get deflected by her sword. I hear a click and the sound of something bouncing off the ground. I look to my side and see a grenade. My survival instincts take over as I run and hurl myself from the debris I've been taking cover behind as the grenade explodes. The blast sends dust and stone scattering across the Coliseum.

"Praetor?!"

"I'm fine, Saber!"

I'm not. Even though I managed to not get hit by the shrapnel, I'm out in the open, with no cover to hide behind. I can almost feel Dan gaze through the scope of his rifle as the shot echoes through the Coliseum. A sharp pain runs through my body as a bullet pierces my shoulder. I glance down and see a hole in my shoulder, just a few inches away from my heart. Compared to the pain from Archer's arrow, it doesn't hurt as much. Maybe it was because I was expecting to get shot? I hear Saber scream out, but can't make out the words. I know another bullet is coming for me. I can't help but wonder why Dan didn't just finish me off when he had the chance. Was he really that injured, or did he want to prolong my suffering?

Time seems to slow as the bullet is fired at me. Saber is too far away to do anything to help. Even if she was, Archer is keeping her occupied. I remember this happening during the prelims too. The first time I fought with Saber, it felt like the whole world was slowing down and I could see everything before it happened. I take out the Exorcist Blade and grip it tightly. Somehow, I feel like this will work. The bullet approaches me as I take the exorcist Blade and swing at it. Unbelievably, I manage to slice the bullet in half. The two halves are deflected along the sides of the blade and fly past me.

"…What?"

"How the hell?

"Praetor?"

The surprise is everyone's voice is to be expected. I should be dead right now, but I'm not. Dan recovers from his stupor and fires at me again, only to have the same thing happen once more.

"Saber! Finish it, now!"

"Understood! Rosa Ichthys! Très Fontaine Ardent!"

"Wall of Thorns!"

Saber unleashes two of her skills in quick succession. Archer pushes Dan out of the way as he summons another wall of plants and takes cover behind it. Unfortunately, it's not enough to stop Saber's attack. The wall of plants and his cloak are completely burned away by Saber's fire. Saber wastes no time rushing forward and taking the chance she sees before her. Whatever is happening to me, I manage to see Saber impale Archer on her sword. Dan Black looks dazed. He's staring at Saber and me as if we are some sort of divine beings. He holds his side, his gun having been forgotten, as he sits up in pain. Saber pulls her sword free from Archer's chest as he speaks in disbelief.

"Crazy…How did we lose? My Master has more ability and more determination than you. So how?"

The firewall appears between us, the space occupied by Dan and Archer is colored in red.

"No, Archer. It seems I still lacked experience. I doubted myself too greatly in this tournament. It seems having a reason to fight is not the same as truly believing in that reason. I never doubted my desire to be a warrior, but…that life has given me regrets. I wanted the Holy Grail to bring back my late wife. What a silly delusion. My whole life I praised myself for giving up my individual feelings and aspirations, like a good soldier. Only at the very end did I dare to have my own goals, and decide to abandon military life. I can't believe I was trying to fight as just a man. It was foolish of me to pit my pride as a knight against my feelings as a person…So foolish…I just wanted to get back what I had lost, before the end. But…I wonder which one I wished for? My late wife…or the person I was before I became a soldier…"

The two are on the ground now, both beginning to fade away.

"But I'm surprised in you. When you unleashed your final attack, you did not doubt yourself. Even though you can't describe what it is yet, there must be something that gives you a purpose. How else could you achieve such a feat as what you did? My wish…A wish to bring back the dead was nothing to boast about. Though your trials are many, keep living, young one. Your struggles will steel your determination. Now. I apologize that you have to see me like this, but I am at peace with my defeat. Because, for the first time, I am the ground from which a youth with a bright future might grow."

Dan's face softens before settling into a wide smile. His face is no longer stern, but warm and filled with kindness. He rises off the ground and stands tall, despite his wounds. Archer looks down in shame as he turns to face his Master.

"I'm sorry, Master. I knew I wasn't cut out for a fair fight. You needed someone better than a charlatan like me. I'm so sorry. Another Servant wouldn't have failed you like this."

"No, I'm the one to blame, Archer. Restricting your actions was selfish and damaging to your dignity."

"…A bit late for that now, Master. You have no idea the torment you've been putting me through. Why are you apologizing anyway? You're making me sound like a moron here. And why do you care about me? Whether we win or lose, I still vanish in the end. I mean, I did have a wish of my own, but I was more interested in having a good time. Gotta tell you, it's been rather boring fighting for you, Master."

"Haha, there's something else to apologize to you for. A warrior's pride must've held no value to you."

Archer turns away from his Master, and us too. He gazes off into the distance, lost in thought.

"Hmm. As long as I don't have to do it every day, it's not a bad change of pace. Boring as it's been, playing knight was a healthy thing for me to try, you know? Well, although I was never given a chance, I've always wanted to try being a badass knight."

Archer looks down to the ground and mumbles out that last bit.

"…So really, don't apologize. We had a good run, and there's nothing to feel ashamed about. Jeez, I didn't even think I'd be able to pull off a single battle in this stupid tournament. In life, I had everything I wanted. Wealth, fame, friendship, and success. But…A fair fight was the one thing I never had. Do, it's okay…I finally did something I was never able to do."

Archer looks at peace as he fades away. It seems like he managed to let go of whatever regrets he had from his life. Only Dan is left now, the darkness, nearly consuming him, save his shoulders and head.

"…I'm sorry. Thank you, Archer. Hakuno, could I trouble you to listen to the dying words of an old man? From here on out, no matter what enemy you may encounter, or who you may have to defeat…Feel it. Think about it. Process it. Accept your doubts, but don't be crippled by them. Above all, accept the consequences of your actions, and turn all you learn and feel into strength. If you wait until the end to think, you'll end up with regrets. And, if possible, I'd like you to get meaning from your battles. Thorough combat, find the reason you fight, and the reason you can't lose. Find your answers. It's your responsibility to have the answers when you survive this war. Do you understand, rising star? Don't…forget…Finally, I'll be able to see her again. It's been too long, Anne…"

He whispers a woman's name in a hopeful tone. Dan Blackmore fades away into nothing with a smile on his face. Saber and I head back to the elevator. Even though the pain has subsided, I can't help but reach up and place a hand on my shoulder. What happened back there? There are so many things that I don't know. About myself, about my reason for fighting. Dan told me that I had to find the answers for myself, but I'm not sure if I can. Saber and I step back onto campus

"Praetor. Your growth is decent, but you have yet to make use of my power to its fullest. The last Master was disgraceful, but this Master was a seasoned warrior. Even though you emerged victorious from battle with his Servant, you are still green. Also…No, that can be addressed at another time. Truly, it is not as if nothing was gained. I have seen the look of a warrior pass over your face."

Saber criticizes me harshly, but her face is soft as she speaks praises. I panicked and got myself hurt during the Elimination Battle. Had Dan not hesitated, or had Archer not been preoccupied, I would have been killed. I'm not sure what happened back there, and neither does Saber. But she believes that I have "the look of a warrior". Is that who I was before? Is that why I reacted like I did during the Elimination Battle?

"Dan, was it? Did you happen to gain any impression from fighting him?"

"Yes."

I'm not sure what it is, but something has changed inside me. I can feel it.

"I see. If you believe as such, it is all well and good. I will see what you have or have not gained in the fight to come."

Right. There is still more fighting after this. The third round, the fourth round, and so on. I don't know how many people are participating in the Holy Grail War, or how long I'll have to fight. I'm still where I started, lost and confused. But, still… I owe it to the ones whose lives I've taken to keep fighting, no matter what I may face. I should probably get my shoulder checked out just to be safe. Saber and I head over to the Nurse's Office. On the way, I come across Hakunon as she is coming from there. She is walking slowly, with a hand on her side. I walk up and go to talk to her.

"Hey, Hakunon. How's it going?"

"Oh hey, you made it. You alright there? You look a little banged up."

"Oh, yeah. I took a bullet to the shoulder. What about you?"

"Stabbed in the side. I guess we're just really unlucky, huh?"

"I guess so. I won't keep you, then. Talk to you later?"

"Later."

After we part ways, I open the door to the Nurse's Office and see Sakura putting way some medical supplies. She turns around and gasps when she sees me.

"Senpai! Are you injured too?"

"Yeah. If it's not too much trouble, can I get it checked out? I'm sure it's fine now that we're on campus, but it still hurts a little."

"Of course, Senpai. I'm always here if you need help. You can even stay here until tomorrow morning. If you want that is."

"Thank you, Sakura."

She sits me down as I take my shirt off and takes a look at my exposed shoulder. She applies some sort of ointment that feels cool against my skin. The pain starts to fade away soon after. I thank her and lie down on the bed. Tomorrow, I'll have to face another opponent and fight them too. I close my eyes and let my consciousness drift away as sleep takes me.

**A/N:**

**Okay, Chapter 8 is done. So, there are some things that I want to address.**

**I know that this arc has been pretty short, but not a lot happens during the second round. The only major events that happen are getting shot, Dan using his Command Seal, and Rani's request. Hakuno and Dan don't encounter each other all that much. Most of the interaction comes during the Elimination Battle. He said it himself; meaningful interaction occurs on the battlefield and thereafter. Another thing. I know that this Elimination Battle is way shorter than the one against Rider. My reasoning for that is because: **

**One; Dan wanted to fight fairly and face-to-face, meaning that they were fighting at a disadvantage, to begin with. If they had hidden or taken the high ground and attacked from a distance, as a normal person would do, then they probably might have won.**

**Two; Dan is an old man and no matter how much skill and experience he has his body would fail him during strenuous activities. That's my headcanon for why he doesn't interact with you as much as Shinji and other Masters do. **

**Lastly; he said himself, that he had his doubts and hesitated to follow through with his beliefs. That's why he shot Hakuno in the shoulder instead of killing him outright.**

**On another note; You see that Hakuno has transformed Rider's pistol into a Mystic Code. Don't get me wrong. I'm not insinuating that Hakuno is s genius or is talented. He essentially copy-pasted what he saw with his other Mystic Codes onto the pistol. If it had been anyone else, they would've programmed a laser or been able to summon a cannon just like Rider could. Same thing with Hakuno's random ability to perceive everything slowly and react like he did. If you've played Fate/Extra then you know spoilers which I am trying to implement creatively. I originally wanted Rin and/or Rani to help Hakuno, but I decide not to.**

**I want Hakuno to grow and get better as he progresses through the Holy Grail War. Eventually, he has to stand on his own. Hakuno may be average in appearance and magical ability, but the one thing he has is his mind and his ability to think outside of the box. He does things that ordinary magi wouldn't because he isn't bound by their thought process. It's like how in anime/manga when the rival/villain doesn't train or change his tactics because he thinks he's perfect and unbeatable. Meanwhile, the protagonist does everything that they can to succeed. I hope I explained it in a way that is easy to understand. If anyone does have a problem with it, I don't mind having to change it altogether. I did push out this chapter soon after the previous one. **

**Also, for the person who wanted to know if Sakura knows what will happen to Hakuno, the answer is yes, kind of. It will come into play later. And does anyone have a better name than "Drake Gun" for Hakuno's new Mystic Code? It's all I can come up with. I'm not good at clever naming.**

**Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this. See you again soon.**


	9. Ghost in the Machine Part I

**Chapter 9: Ghost in the Machine Part I**

I wake up to the sound of my terminal beeping. I try and reach into my pocket to see what it is and turn it off, but I can't move my arm. Something is latched onto it. There's a lot of weight on my chest and right side, preventing me from moving my arm. I blink the sleep out of my eyes and look down to see what it is. I am met with a head of long, purple hair and soft breathing as Sakura holds on to me tightly. It tries to wriggle out of her grasp without waking her, but am unable to. I sigh and shake her with my left hand.

"Sakura, wake up. I can't move."

She looks up at me, sleep still in her eyes as she yawns.

"Senpai? What are you doing in my bed?"

"This is my bed, Sakura. You must have crawled into the wrong one by mistake."

"Oh, sorry."

She sits up and yawns once again while stretching. I look away out of politeness. She's dressed down for sleep, only wearing her white button-up shirt which has the top few buttons unbuttoned. I can feel my face growing hotter and redder as I try not to peek at her. I take out my terminal and see the familiar message being displayed.

[The next combatants will be announced on the second-floor bulletin board.]

Oh, right. It's the start of the third round now. Yesterday, I beat Dan and moved on to the next round. I remember his words and feel lost. Find the answers; that's what he told me to do. The get up out of bed and put on my blazer. I have to go and see who my next opponent is. Saber is still asleep, but I'm sure I'll be fine. I exit the Nurse's Office and head up to the second floor.

As I ascend to the second floor, I'm treated to a gruesome sight. There are several dead bodies littered on the ground. All of the hairs on the back of my neck shoot up and my survival instincts kick in immediately. I have to get out of here. I feel a pressure push against my chest and send me flying back toward a wall. Instead of slamming into it, I'm flung onto the cold, hard ground. I look around to see that I've been transported somewhere unfamiliar. No. Now that I get a good look at it, I realize that I'm back inside the Coliseum. It's not the same one I remember from the previous rounds. The area is small and circular, enclosed by walls made of dinosaur bones and large stone. There is no way to escape.

If I'm in the Coliseum, then there must be an enemy nearby. Sure enough, I see a man standing in front of me. He is standing with his arms crossed. His red hair and orange Changshan make him look like a raging fire. I can't move my body. The presence of this enemy is too overwhelming. He fully intends to kill me, that much is certain. There's no doubt in my mind that he is an Assassin-class Servant. He's like Death personified. He uncrosses his arms and stared at me with boredom in his eyes as he speaks.

"Human life is fragile. Even if you are a magus, you look like a meat puppet to me. I've grown tired of killing children. For once, I wanted to feel what I was doing…Want to feel something, boy?"

He drops into a stance and I bite my lip, drawing blood. The pain returns me to my senses as I pull out my Exorcist Blade and Drake Gun. I know it's pointless to try and fight a Servant on my own. Compared to a bullet fired from a sniper rifle a few feet away, a Servant might as well be moving at lightspeed. He closes in for the kill and as he does, a crimson ray of light enters my vision as it hits Assassin, causing a large explosion that sends me flying back from the air pressure. There is a cloud of dust and smoke from the impact. What was that? Assassin brushes himself off and cracks his neck; it didn't even phase him. He glares out to where the ray of light came from and smiles a little bit.

He rushes forward to attack again, but Saber appears in front of me to block the attack with the flat of her sword. Assassin pulls back as Saber swings her sword at him. He readjusts before attacking again. The two trade blows, but neither one manages to get in any clean hits. Saber stays out of her with her sword and Assassin bats her attacks away with his fists. The stalemate ends as Assassin backs off, laughing loudly.

"Ooh, a spirited one. I'm glad you came this way, boy. What a shame, we've run out of time. The system's limits saved your life. Hopefully, we'll fight again someday. I'm looking forward to it."

The Coliseum vanishes as Saber and I are returned to the school. Despite being back, there's still an ominous feeling in the air. Standing away from me is Mr. Kuzuki who has a blank look on his face. Was that Assassin his Servant? I wouldn't be surprised, honestly. He steps closer as he begins talking to me.

"How did someone like you manage to evade that? I thought you were small fry. Maybe you have a superior Servant or hidden abilities. Either way, you managed to survive the Demon's Fist."

He immediate turns hostile. The glare in his eyes is like a knife piercing into me. How is it that he scares me more than a trained soldier? Whatever the case, I'm still holding my Mystic Codes and Saber is standing by my side unseen.

"It's ideal to get rid of you here."

As he approaches me to attack, he is interrupted by the sound of another voice. It's Rin.

"Aha. You're the psychopath who's killing Masters within the school. I thought so."

"…Rin Tohsaka?"

"So, you know who I am? I must be more famous than I thought. The intelligence network of the Harwey Foundation is really something, isn't it? You've been busy, Julius Belkisk Harwey. It's to be expected. You are the Foundation's dog, after all."

Kuzuki, or Julius now, smiles thinly at Rin's words.

"It's risky of you to save an enemy. Do you intend to make this boy your ally?"

"How absurd. He's got nothing to do with this. In fact, why haven't you killed him yet?"

Wow, thanks for that Rin. She's not going to be winning any rewards for friendship anytime soon. I guess it was wrong for me to think of us as friends in the first place.

"I'll be laughing when you end up stabbed in the back, terrorist."

With that, Julius takes his leave but speaks to me as he does so.

"So…You are called Hakuno. I shall remember this."

He glares at me one more time before melting away into a nearby wall. Now it's just Rin and me left alone together.

"So, he's been hacking the system's character profiles to his heart's content, I see. With an enemy like that, I better be on my guard at all times in the school."

Rin stares at me with a cold look in her eyes. It's different from Julius's but it has a similar feeling of coldness and dismissal.

"…What's with that look? I didn't come to save you. I wanted to say hello to the Harwey's assassin. You're my enemy, too. It's not like I care if you died now. I'm impressed that you made it past the second round. I didn't think you had it in you. I mean, you've had a rough time of it. That's why I—What am I saying? Later, then. Be careful not to lose the life that just got saved for you in the third round!"

She smiles briefly before leaving. I honestly can't tell what going on in her head. First, she's cold and then she's nice? It's too much trouble to deal with right now. I turn toward the bulletin board and look to see who my next opponent is. The name next to mine is "Alice" with no surname.

"…So, you're going to be my new playmate, mister?"

I whip around to look behind but don't see anyone. That is until I look down and see who my next opponent is. She's a little girl who barely comes halfway up my chest. She, she can't be more than ten years old.

"Mister…You remember Alice, don't you? Or maybe you didn't notice me. After all, Alice was just staring at you…Alice thinks you and I can be friends, mister. Finally, Alice will have a friend of her own. That's why when you left, mister, I was so sad and lonely. But…When I came to this place, Alice was lucky enough to meet Alyss. Alyss is Alice's only friend. Alice finally found a friend in Alyss. That's why you aren't needed anymore. As long as Alice has Alyss, nothing else matters. But you are my next playmate, so I guess I'll have to play with you."

I have no idea what to say. This child in front of me is speaking incoherently. I can't get a word in before she continues speaking.

"Try not to die too quickly. Alice will be sad. Alyss will be bored."

She smiles widely before spinning around and running off. Unlike Dan, I don't feel threatened by her. But in her own way, she's just as unnerving. Saber reappears and speaks to me.

"One's skill should not be judged by their age, especially when it comes to a magus. Things have become interesting. She seems to be a prodigy amongst the many players on the stage."

That's right. To get here, she has to be strong. She is probably much stronger than Dan was. Can I fight a child, though? Can I kill a little girl? That's a better question. Shinji was a coward and a villain while Dan was experienced and a trained soldier. Compared to those two, fighting Alice seems worse to me. Saber interrupts my thoughts. She has her arms crossed and a stern look on her face.

"Praetor, if I may speak. What were you thinking, leaving me to wander around by yourself? Had I not sensed you in danger, you may have lost your life."

"I'm sorry, Saber. I wasn't thinking. I didn't know that those two were killing people outside of the Elimination Battles. I was an idiot to think it was safe. Please, forgive me."

"Umu. It seems that you have recognized your folly. Still, try to stay near me in the future, Praetor. I doubt those two are the kind to give up after one failure."

"I will, Saber. Thank you for saving me again."

She right. Julius and his Servant won't sit around quietly. They're skilled enough to get around the school's firewalls and kill on its grounds. I have to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Since we're here on the second floor, Saber and I go to our room to relax and mull over what has happened. Saber sits on her makeshift throne while I write down some new notes in my terminal. Julius's Servant is obviously an Assassin; it seems that he and Leo are the only ones who don't care about hiding their Servant's identity. Saber chooses to speak up.

"The number of magi in the hallways has been greatly reduced. Though expected, it is a shame. Among the vanquished, there must have been Servants who could have inspired my prose. All of the Legendary Souls would be in one building if this were an Olympiad. Tournaments are flawed."

Huh. For someone who doesn't want to tell me her name, Saber sure does drop a lot of hints about her identity. Now that I think about it, Dan and Archer seemed to know who she is during the Elimination Battle. Is that my fault, or is it Saber's fault? Well, there's no point in worrying about it now that we've won. We just have to be more careful from this point onward.

It's still midday. The Trigger hasn't been generated in the Arena yet it seems. Maybe I'll go and talk to people that I know to kill time. I head upstairs to the third floor and see Rani standing in her usual spot. I wave to her and she bows in recognition.

"Congratulations. It seems you've made it back in one piece. The stars must be whispering their blessings to you."

"It's all thanks to your help, Rani. I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you."

"I wish you luck in the battle to come, Hakuno. I hope to see you again soon."

We part ways as I go up to the rooftop to go see Rin. Even though she was kind of harsh before, I think I've gotten used to it. It's a part of her character.

"Hey…You actually look somewhat serious for a change. Lucky or not, you've managed to keep winning. I guess I'll have to start taking you seriously. Is that little girl your next opponent? You keep getting the short end of the stick, huh?"

"Better her than you."

"Why do people dislike me so… Well, if we were to face each other, it'd be an easy victory for me. I the time ever comes where we have to fight, don't expect me to hold back. As this is the third round, I hope you've learned by now not to judge your enemy by their appearance."

"Thanks for the reminder. See you later, then."

Maybe I'll go and see Sakura now. As I am walking down the stairs my terminal beeps and displays the same message as before.

[The primary cipher key has been generated.]

That's convenient. As I step onto the first floor, I run into my opponent. Alice comes up to me and starts talking before I can react.

"Hey, play with me! How about we play tag? Yeah, I want to play tag! You want to play with me, right?"

Even though it may be a ruse, I can't help but let my guard down around her.

"Sure, why not?"

"Yay! I knew you'd play with me! She is me and I am her! We are ourselves! Let's start now! Tag, you're it! Alice will be waiting for you inside the Arena. Hurry up and come get me!"

I said "yes" in the spur of the moment. Well, it seems I have to go and chase after her now. Saber appears beside me.

"So, we are 'It', are we? It is time to teach her the meaning of fear. Let us give chase!"

Saber seems surprisingly enthusiastic about this. I may be able to get some information about Alice's Servant if I play with her. I head down to the Commissary to restock on supplies and see if there are any new Mystic Codes available to purchase. I buy a few items and pick up three new Mystic Codes: a pair of Silver Earrings, and Old Rusty Sword, and a Mermaid Robe. The earrings and the sword have a similar effect to the Fortune Key, seeing as how the first one increases the target's magical abilities and the latter increases their strength, respectively. The Mermaid Robe has the same effect as the Phoenix Scarf, but better. I put away the Phoenix Scarf and take out the Mermaid Robe. Despite its name, the Mermaid Robe resembles a Japanese haori. It's hip-length and deep blue with the bottom and sleeves being white with a wave pattern to them.

Alright, I should probably get going now that I'm prepared. As I step back onto the first floor I see Ms. Fujimura standing there, waiting for me.

"Hello, Hakuno. My, you look stunning. Anyway, I have an important task for you. It seems that one of the Masters has smuggled an illicit magazine onto campus. Please track them down and confiscate said magazine for me."

"Yes, ma'am."

It's not hard to find said Master. She's actually reading it outside in behind some bushes in the courtyard. The "illicit magazine" in question seems to be a manga. Whether it contains inappropriate material or not is hard to say. If it does, I'm glad I didn't walk into something unsavory. I politely ask the other Master to hand over the manga. She says she'll only hand it over if I get her a large cauldron for her Servant. I sigh and head back inside and go toward the Arena. I shouldn't keep Alice waiting for too long. I hold my terminal up to the entrance and we are pulled inside. The map is generated on my terminal as a new message is displayed. The Arena is a beautiful magenta color this time around.

[Third Chimeric Lunar Sea] [PLAY FOR ESCAPE INTO A MIRROR INTO WONDERLAND, AND A LUCID DREAM. THE SHIMMERING OF THE MOMENT, EITHER LAUGHTER OR TEARS.]

Saber is laughing as she steps into the Arena.

"She went this way! I suspect she is nearby. That's what my maiden's intuition tells me. Let's seek that child, Praetor!"

As Saber said, we only have to walk a few feet forward before we see Alice.

"Ah, mister, over her, over here! You're 'It', mister. If you can catch Alice, you win, mister! All right, ready…Go!"

She turns and runs away.

"Praetor, let us give chase. Though she may be a pitiable enemy, I do adore constructed games! Besides, a child that presumes to address me as an 'It' requires strict discipline!"

I think Saber is misunderstanding something. Well, if it gets her motivated to play along, I won't stop her. A few minutes into this game of tag, and I'm already regretting it. The Arena this time seems to have many different rooms connected with hidden passageways. There are also Cube enemies present along with the "Kite" enemies from the first Arena and a new enemy type, "Phoenix", a bird-like enemy that is just as powerful as the Horn and Fang enemies. We would've gotten lost if it weren't for Alice waiting patiently for us to get close before running away. I'm not sure if she knows how to play this game right, but it's a big help either way. While running after Alice, I somehow manage to find a Cauldron lying around in an Item Folder. I honestly can't tell if I'm a lucky person or not, but I take it with me and continue chasing after Alice. We final y manage to catch up to her near the exit to the Arena. I see a green Item Folder right behind her. She's blocking the way to the Trigger. Was that her plan from the start?

"Oh no, you found us! But, that was fun, mister! Hey mister…Do you want to hear Alice's story? Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Alice, who lived in a country far, far away from here…"

Alice's form flickers for a moment before a bright flash fills my vision. As my sight returns, I see…another Alice, dressed in black. The black Alice continues where the white Alice left off.

"And then, a scary country came with their tanks and planes and metal helmets and guns. The sky got really red and then my house got really black. Then I woke up in a white room. Nothing ever changed. I had no friends. I had no Mommy or Daddy."

"Daddy always said when I got hurt, I should tough it out. Daddy got mad if I said it hurts. But something happened that hurt so much that I couldn't tough it out. Then I woke up here. But, it's okay. It's really fun here. There are bunches of nice people."

"Uh-huh, that's right, Alice. You can play as hard as you want here, right?"

"But if I play too hard, I break my playthings. I don't want their heads and arms to come off!"

"Don't be silly. If we break them, I can sew them back up with the needle and thread Mommy gave me. I'm not very good at sewing, but I'm sure, at the very least, I can stitch them together."

"As long as they're in one piece, I guess it'd be okay."

"Of course, it'd be okay."

"What a relief. I wouldn't want to make Mommy mad again."

"Then, let's play really hard with the mister! Because he is our brand-new friends. This Master isn't like the two before. We can touch this Master and he even has warm blood. Hey, let's see if 'he' wants to play, too."

"Yeah! That's a good idea."

White Alice raises her hand in the air. These two just got less cute and innocent fast. I glance toward Saber, who nods and gets ready to fight. Everything begins to shake as White Alice releases a huge amount of magical energy. A huge, hulking monster appears behind the two girls. It is crimson red with spikes jutting out of its head and back in the shape of wings. Its arms and legs are disproportionate to the rest of the body, being much larger and more muscular looking. It stands up straight as if the extra weight is meaningless. Is that Alice's Servant? My instincts are screaming at me to run away. White Alice begins to giggle happily as she speaks.

"Isn't he neat? He's Alice's friend."

"Play with him, mister."

No way's going to happen.

"Saber, let's run."

"Fall back for the time being? I see great minds think alike. Let's cut our way out of here. There's no need to use your Command Seal right now."

We turn around and bolt in the opposite direction. We can't beat that thing right now. We have to figure more about Alice and her Servant before we can do anything else. Behind us, I can hear Alice's voice calling out to me.

"Huh? You're leaving, mister? Aww, boring…Well, he'll be here until the magic we gave him runs out, so come play again!"

This is terrible. That giant is standing right in front of the Trigger. If I can't get it, I'll be disqualified and killed. We get far enough that I can relax and breathe easy. Now that I have a moment to think, I realize that I don't have any clue as to what's going on. There are two different people named Alice? Are they twins? They look exactly the same; if they were wearing the same color clothes, I wouldn't be able to tell them apart. Saber puts a hand on her hip as she speaks.

"Now that was a right brute. Such animosity could only come from a Berserker. That's troubling."

Berserker. A class that exchanges the original personality and the sanity of a Legendary Soul for uncontrollable power. Going near that thing, if it is a Berserker-class Servant, would be suicide. Somehow I doubt that that's the case. If that thing is White Alice's Servant, then who is Black Alice supposed to be?

"A Romulus and Remus of Masters? That would be most unusual. We should investigate that later."

Well, luckily it seems that White Alice's "friend" isn't following us. We could use a Return Crystal to leave and head back to campus, but decide not to. If that thing really is a Berserker- class Servant, then we have to get stronger. We spend the next two hours defeating enemies to gather their excess data for an Alteration. We're forced to leave once I run out of items and magical energy to heal Saber. Hopefully, we've gathered enough data for an Alteration. If not, then we'll be facing an uphill battle. I throw down a Return Crystal and we step back onto campus and go back to our room.

"Our opponent this time is a child. Praetor, you keep getting the most unfortunate opponents. That monstrous strength…It will continue to block our way to the Trigger unless we have a plan."

"Tomorrow, we'll go and see Rin, Saber. She may know something about this whole situation."

"As much as it pains me to rely on potential enemies for information, it appears we have no choice."

We go to bed and get some rest for tomorrow. I hope that Rin can help me figure out what's going on. Otherwise, we're going to be in trouble.

The next day, I wake up and get ready to go see Rin. After what happened yesterday, Saber and I have agreed to be more cautious as we go around campus. I exit our room and head outside. Something I see stops me in my tracks. In the hallway, I see a man dressed in white flicker in and out of sight as he walks toward me. He seems to be wearing a lab coat and has black hair and glasses. That's all I can make out before he vanishes completely. A voice catches my attention, commenting on what I've just seen. It's Leo.

"A cyber ghost, I see. There are several trillion memories of lives, from bacteria to humans, stored in the SERAPH. In that way, the SERAPH resembles the primordial sea from which unicellular organisms sprung. Just as those bacteria grew into humans, so too do the conditions of the SERAPH grow to allow for evolution. That pseudo lifeform must have been integrated from the information evolving in the SERAPH. It's merely an echo of someone who once lived. It's harmless data, don't worry about it."

After he says his piece, Leo takes his leave. What is it with people coming up to me and talking in my ear before leaving? To my surprise, Alice skips up the staircase soon after. She smiles and waves me over. I approach her cautiously. After what happened in the Arena, I'm much more wary of this small child and what she can do if I let my guard down.

"Hey mister, let's play together again today! I want to play hide and seek on campus! All right, Alice will go and hide and you have to come and find me!"

She disappears in a flash of light as Saber spears to replace her.

"Praetor, this might be a good chance to gather information. Let's do our best in this game. Be warned, child. I will see through what you really are."

Saber chuckles darkly. It's not what we had planned, but this might be better than asking Rin. Hopefully, there won't be anything bad waiting for us at the end of this game. We start searching for Alice around campus. There aren't that many places where she could be hiding. We start from the roof and work our way downstairs. She's nowhere on the upper floors, so we check downstairs in the Garden and the Chapel, but don't find her. While we are running around looking for Alice, I take the time to give that other Master the Cauldron she wanted in exchange for her Manga. Thankfully, its nothing explicit. I put it away to give to Ms. Fujimura later. We finally find Alice in front of the entrance to the Arena. Her frilly dress is unmistakable.

"Found you."

"Wha…? You found me…Oh darn. I guess Alice loses this time. As a reward, Alice will give you something nice! What do you want?"

"Please, tell your 'friend' to move."

I want to ask about Black Alice, but we should deal with the major roadblock, first.

"My 'friend'…Oh, you'll have to ask…her…about that…Oh, how about a treasure hunt? If you want my friend to move, find the Vorpal Blade. Um…you'll need a clue…Oh, here's one! You won't find the Vorpal Blade in the Arena. A blade of legend, that no one has ever seen. How will you find it? Can, you find it? Well, good luck! Bye-bye."

Saber appears beside me and speaks.

"Umu. You did well in gathering some much-needed information. Very well. Now quickly! We must locate this Vorpal Blade she spoke of."

Alice has already run off somewhere else. Vorpal Blade? A blade of legend, that no one has ever seen? Where am I supposed to start? I should go and ask Rin like I was planning on doing from the beginning. Hopefully, she knows something about the Vorpal Blade.

**A/N:**

**Hey, Chapter 9 is done, yay! Nothing much to talk about for this chapter. It's mostly an introduction for little Alice and her creepiness. So, Julius goes around killing people whenever he can. Does that mean that there's an uneven number of Masters in the Moon Holy Grail War? Because I don't he cares about how many he's killing. Does that mean that if he didn't kill those Masters, there would have been even more rounds in the Holy Grail War? I mean, it would make sense. The graphic that shows up in the game says there were 999 participants in the Holy Grail War during the prelims before dropping to the in-game number of 128.**

**Something I forgot to bring up in the last chapter: Dan knew Saber's identity? I mean, he hints at it before the fight when he calls her a tyrant, right? As far as I know, he's the only one outside of the Top 4 (Rin, Rani, Julius, Leo) who figure out your Servant's identity. That's pretty impressive.**

**Alice is an interesting character in Fate/Extra if you've played through the game. I didn't realize it the first time I played through it, but some of the things she says are pretty messed up. It sounds like her father was very strict with her, telling her to tough things out when she's in pain. While I was writing out her dialogue, I couldn't help but hearing Plutia from the Neptunia games. I feel like they're just similar characters. Just to be clear, when Alice is speaking, White Alice is "Alice" and Black Alice is "Alyss". But inside Hakuno's thoughts, they are White Alice and Black Alice, respectively. The different spelling is for you, readers. If you've ever seen or read Pandora Hearts, you know how confusing it is. And if you've ever seen Kamen Rider Zi-O, then you know why I'm calling them "White Alice" and "Black Alice". My interests cover a wide variety of genres.**

**I wanted to add a behind-the-scenes chapter or something, but I feel like it'd be kind of awkward to interrupt the flow of the story by adding in chapters that don't fit. I also kind of boned myself because I chose to write in first-person, which would make adding chapters involving Hakuno feel disjointed because we are following his journey in this story. They'd probably be more like omakes, where they take place in a different universe or something like that. Thank you for reading. See you again next time.**


	10. Ghost in the Machine Part II

Chapter 10: Ghost in the Machine Part II

Saber and I head upstairs after our encounter with Alice. I don't know what the Vorpal Blade is, but maybe Rin or Rani might know. When I get to the rooftop, I see that Rin is nowhere to be found and back on the third floor, Rani is also gone. Well, there's no use in letting it get to me. I head back downstairs to the Library. If those two aren't around, then going to the library and searching for information is my best shot. When I browse through the various shelves of the library, I can't find any information about the Vorpal Blade anywhere. Did Alice remove all the information like Shinji did?

I'll try looking around campus again to see if I can find Rin or Rani. If I can't find them, I may end up having to use a Command Seal to get past that giant. Thankfully, Rin is walking around on the first floor. I run up to her, breathing heavily as I try and catch my breath.

"What's wrong? You look upset. I heard you've been playing with that girl."

"What is a Vorpal Blade?"

"Vorpal Blade? I think…that's a weapon that affects certain types of monsters. What about it? It's limited in its application, so I doubt it will be of much help. Well, if you do need it, you'll have to find an alchemist. Sorry, I can't transmute such a thing. If I were you, I'd find a master alchemist and discuss the matter with them."

An alchemist? Rin says she can't help me so I'm going to need to find one if I want to get a Vorpal Blade. I'm going to have to ask around and see if there are any Masters who are alchemists. I ask every Master and NPC I see where I can find an alchemist, but come up empty until I talk with Issei Ryuudou.

"You're looking for an alchemist? Unfortunately, I cannot help you with your search. I have heard that a place known as the Atlas Institute specialized in alchemy and astrology. Master Rani Atlasia is from the Atlas Institute. Perhaps you can speak to her."

"Thank you, Issei."

So, Rani is from the Atlas Institute? That's pretty convenient. I run around campus again until I find Rani sitting peacefully in the garden outside the Chapel. She seems to be staring at the sky as usual. Maybe she can read the stars better outside or she just wanted some fresh air. Either way, I glad I managed to find her.

"Rani!"

"Greetings, Hakuno. The stars have already aligned. Is there something you need of me?"

"You're an Atlas alchemist, right?"

"Yes. I have a somewhat thorough knowledge of the skills required in alchemy. Though to be accurate, it is my professor who is the alchemist and I the disciple. What of it?"

"Do you know what the Vorpal Blade is?"

"Vorpal Blade? My professor spoke of it. It is a Mystic Code effective only against particular targets. With the right materials, like Malachite, I could use alchemy to affect the Arena. But—"

Rani pauses for a brief moment to think. It's at this moment that I remember that Rani is one of the enemy Masters that I could end up facing in the future. I guess it makes sense that she wouldn't want to help me.

"If you don't want to help; I won't force you, Rani. I'll find another way—"

"No, it is all right. I have seen that your star is different from the other Masters'. You may be the one that my professor spoke of. If you bring me Malachite, I will do my best to transmute it into a Vorpal Blade."

"Thank you so much, Rani."

I head over to the Commissary after speaking with Rani. If there's anywhere I can get Malachite, the Commissary seems like the best place to start. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any in the Commissary. The only thing close to Malachite I can find is a Ruby that costs way too much for anyone to even purchase. My only choice now is to go into the Arena and hope that Malachite can be found there. As I run back up to the first floor, I nearly crash into Rin, who is walking by.

"Geez watch where you're going! You look troubled; what's wrong?"

"I need to find some Malachite if I want to make a Vorpal Blade."

"Malachite, I see. It's not like I don't have any, but…"

"Can I have one?"

Even if I end up getting rejected, not asking when the thing I need is right in front of me seems foolish. Surprisingly, Rin smiles at my question, but it doesn't like a good smile.

"For free? Do I look like a charity organization to you? Don't forget that we're enemies. So, you can have it, provided you give me something in return."

"Like what? My body?"

"Praetor?!"

Saber seems surprised at my suggestion, but it's not like I have any other choice. Rin is a better hacker and a better magus than I am. I'm sure nothing I have to offer in exchange is worth anything to her. Rin's steps back in shock before calming herself down. She turns around and whispers something to her invisible Servant before turning back around. She slowly calms her breathing and speaks to me with her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"What, no! Honestly, I can't figure out what goes on in your head sometimes. If you want the Malachite so badly, you have to give me a gem of equal value! There's a Ruby down in the Commissary that I hacked in. Go and get it!"

Rin turns me around and shoves me in the direction of the stairs. I head down to the Commissary without glancing back. That Ruby is ridiculously expensive, but I don't have any other choice. I pull out my terminal to see how much money I have. Not enough. I really need that Ruby if I want to get a Vorpal Blade. The clerk notices me staring at the Ruby and says something completely out of nowhere.

"That thing is probably way too expensive for anyone to buy. If you want, we can make a deal?"

"Yes, please!"

"If you can, could you get a lunch from the school nurse, Sakura? Only Masters can get them, but I really want to try some of her cooking. If you can get one for me, I'll give you the Ruby in exchange."

That doesn't seem right, but I won't argue. I head back upstairs to the Nurse's Office and open the door to find Sakura inside.

"Hello, Senpai. Is there something that you need?"

"I have a request. Can you make me a lunchbox?"

Sakura stares silently at me before breaking out into a happy smile.

"Really, Senpai? You want me to make you a lunchbox? I've actually been practicing my cooking skills. I'd love for you to have some!"

She summons a terminal and types something in. Three lunch boxes appear on the table in the middle of the room. Sakura looks at me expectantly as she hands them to me.

"I know that you're busy preparing for the Elimination Battle right now, so tell me what you think when you have some time, Senpai. I'm always willing to make more if you think that my cooking is good."

"Thank you, Sakura. You don't know how much of a lifesaver you are. I'll let you know later, okay?"

I wave Sakura goodbye before heading back to the Commissary and talk to the clerk. I feel bad that I'm giving away one of the lunches that Sakura worked so hard on for me, but I don't have any other choice.

"Oh! Do you actually have one?! Lucky dog! Well, A deal is a deal. Here you go!"

The clerk reaches down and pulls the Ruby out from the display case before handing it to me. I graciously take it before heading back upstairs to where Rin is waiting. Hold out the Ruby to her while I take a moment to catch my breath. Running around the whole school is tiring.

"Wait, you actually got it? Color me impressed. I never thought you'd get it, but a deal's a deal. Here you go."

Rin takes out the Malachite from her terminal and hands it to me. It's a large crystal about the size of my shoe and emerald green in color.

"There's not very many of those, so use it carefully."

"Thank you, Rin. You're the best."

Rin turns away in a huff but I'm pretty sure I catch a small smile on her face as she walks away. The next thing I need to do is go and see Rani so she can transmute the Malachite into a Vorpal Blade. I make my way to the third floor where Rani is waiting.

"So, you have the Malachite. That is a good catalyst, one very useful to alchemy. Now all that's needed is something that will manifest itself as into the form that you seek. I believe that you have something already in your possession?"

Something to manifest the Vorpal Blade inside of? Oh, I know what she's talking about, I think. I take out the Old Rusty Sword from my Terminal and Rani wordlessly takes both the Malachite and the Mystic Code from me before closing her eyes. A bright light erupts from Rani as the Malachite shines brightly before shattering and turning into dust. The dust flows around Rani in a ring before being sucked into the Old Rusty Sword. Another bright flash of light happens, but this time from the Mystic Code in Rani's hands. When the light dies down, what's left in Rani's hands must be the legendary Vorpal Blade. The blade is emerald green in color and the guard is no longer rusted over, now being silver in color. The pommel held a chunk of the Malachite used to form the blade. Rani carefully hands the Vorpal Blade to me.

"This is the Vorpal Blade. I'm afraid that its use is rather limited, so please use it wisely."

"Thank you for all of you help Rani."

She nods before returning to her stargazing. Now that I have the Vorpal Blade, I think it's time to pay Alice's "friend" a visit. Saber and I head down to the first floor and make our way to the Arena's entrance. Before we enter, Saber appears beside me with a serious look on her face.

"What's wrong, Saber?"

"Praetor, I regret to inform you that I am unable to wield that blade in your hands. Being that it functions primarily as a Mystic Code, you will have to be the one to weaken that creature. But have no fear, Praetor! It would be remiss of me to allow any harm to come to you as long as I am your Servant. I will make sure no harm comes to you."

"Thank you, Saber. I trust you with my life, as always. Now, let's go."

I hold up my terminal to the Arena's entrance and we quickly make our way past the rest of the enemy programs to conserve our strength. Saber and I stop just before the room where Alice's "friend" is waiting. It doesn't seem like it's moved or done anything since the last time we saw it. I take out the Vorpal Blade and hold it in my hand. It's heavier than the Exorcist's Blade, that's for sure. Saber glances at me with a worried look, but I shake my head in response.

There's no use in being afraid. This isn't the first time my life has been in danger and it won't be the last. I take a deep breath before the two of us walk into the Area where the crimson giant is waiting. The air grows thicker as we get closer to the monster; the amount of magical energy it's releasing almost too much to bear. The monster takes one look at us before charging and before letting out a roar and charging extending its long arms to strike at us.

Saber responds immediately and uses her sword to block the monster's fist as I duck to the side and get closer to it. The sheer force of its blow is enough to send Saber skidding back a few feet. It looks down at me before bring it's arm back in a wide, sweeping motion. I manage to duck under it as the shadow of its arm passes over me. Its other arm bends towards me as it tries to grab me its large hands, but Saber is quick to recover and impale the hand and hold it in place. I close enough now that I can use the Vorpal Blade's ability.

"Slash!"

As my blade sunk into the monster's flesh it let out a deafening roar before flinging me backward into Saber, who catches me before moving herself in front of me. The monster clutches the wound I made in its side as it withes around in pain. True to Alice's words, the Vorpal Blade is effective against her "friend" as the dense cloud of magical energy that was filling up the area is dispersed and the monster shrinks down slightly.

"Praetor! The enemy has become weakened! I doubted that girl, but she steered us straight. It's quite a powerful magic tool. We can defeat that monster now!"

It doesn't take long for Saber to defeat the monster. The Vorpal Blade seemed to have weakened it to the point where it's only slighter stronger than the Phoenix enemy programs. It swings wildly at Saber, who gracefully dodges and slices the monster to pieces with only her sword skills. What little remains of the monster fades away into the wind and the two Alices appear before us. Just like I thought, that thing wasn't a Servant after all.

"Uh-oh! It's a Vorpal Blade! How'd they get that?!"

"Really. I wonder how."

"You win the treasure hunt, mister."

"Okay, what're we gonna play next?"

"We gotta go think about it again. All right, bye-bye, mister."

The two girls leave in a flash of light. Saber relaxes as she stands by my side, hand on her hip.

"Hmph. Since that little girl showed up, it means we were not able to finish off the Servant. No matter. At least we will now be able to obtain the cipher key."

I nod as we continue past where the monster was guarding to collect the Trigger before heading back to campus. As we enter our room I sit down on the bed and lay back with my feet dangling off the side.

"Praetor, are you not tired? You seem to have a lot on your mind right now."

"Yeah…just thinking about some things right now."

This whole situation is different from the first and second rounds. We defeated that monster, but it didn't seem to mean anything in the end. The two Alices didn't even look upset that their "friend" got defeated. Does that mean we're going to see more of it later? Can they just make another one of those things? And we still haven't figured out why there are two Alices either. I am pretty sure that there can't be two Masters acting as a single contestant in the Holy Grail War. If they are, then that means that their Servant is still unknown. Maybe I should ask someone else for more information? I must have been lost in thought for a long time because Saber plops down next to me after finishing taking a bath.

"Praetor, sleep now. We can figure things out tomorrow."

"Okay, Saber."

The next morning started a little differently than usual. Saber sat in her makeshift throne while I mindlessly organized my Mystic Codes. She looked to be deep in thought before opening her eyes to look at me before speaking.

"I commend you, Praetor. I never dreamed you would reach my level of extravagance…I refer to your gluttonous use of items in the Arena, of course. If you were my consort, together, we would bankrupt the country! Though, I could do that alone. Still, marriage is not an ill-suited word to describe this newly-formed bond between us. Following your example, I have increased my magic consumption through improved skills. My power has ripened as a result, but I still expect to receive a tithing of items from your hands! Behold, the result of my talents!"

In her hand is my portable terminal and it's displaying Saber's status and skills. It takes me a minute to see what she is talking about, but I notice that one of her skills has been replaced with a new one. Gone was Gladiusanus Blauserum: Acclaim is the Equal of Weaponry, and in its place was Pari Tenu Blauserum: Acclaim is the Equal of Roaring Thunder. I'm not exactly sure what the difference is besides a name change, but Saber has a proud look on her face.

"That's amazing, Saber. Good work."

She smiles happily as we get ready to go out for the day. Speaking of items, I really have been using a lot, but I like to think it's because we've been working hard defeating enemy programs for Alterations. As I walk downstairs to the first floor, I am boxed in by two small figures. It's the Alice twins.

"We found you!"

"We've found you!"

"Why ever are you sneaking around like that?"

"Hey, let's play! We've even made up a new game! That's right. This time, there won't be some stupid grinning cat to help you out. Promise that you'll come and play!"

"Remember, you promised."

The two girls run leave and run in the direction of the Arena. A sound comes from my pocket as I reach inside to take out my portable terminal. A new message is displayed.

[The second cipher key has been generated on the second floor.]

The message is like a punch to the gut. That's right, in a few more days, I'll have to fight those two to move on to the next round. I know that I shouldn't let myself become attached to my opponent, but their just kids. I shake my head and try to focus. As I wander the first floor, I see Sakura standing outside in front of the door to the Nurse's Office. She looks like she has a cloud over her head, but the second she sees me, her expression brightens and she smiles.

"Hello Senpai, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine. What about you, Sakura?"

"I'm feeling a little under the weather, but it's nothing too serious. On another note, what did you think about the lunches I made for you, Senpai?"

"They were really good Sakura. Thank you for making them for me."

"I'll be happy to make you more if you want, Senpai. Oh, before I forget, here you go."

Sakura reaches into her pocket before handing me another Pure Ether and waving goodbye as she went inside the Nurse's Office. Well, I'd better not keep those two waiting for too long.

The second I step into the second floor of the Arena; I immediately regret it. It's so cold! There are giant chunks of ice floating outside the Arena walls. I can even see a giant castle made out of ice far off into the distance. Saber gets close to me before igniting her sword; the flames begin warming me up.

"Praetor, are you alright?!"

"For now, where are the Alices?"

"Oh, mister! You want to play with us!"

"You're the nicest, mister."

The two in question are standing a little bit further away from us. How are they not freezing in this cold? I'm fairly certain that frilly dresses aren't ideal for winter clothing. The two of them continue speaking, completely unaffected.

"Alice will create a brand-new playground in just one second! Birds are just birds here."

"People are just people here."

"Welcome to Alice's tea party!"

A bright flash erupts from where the two girls are standing with their hands interlocked. The entire Arena changes before my eyes as the white and icy-blue scenery changes into a canvas of oranges, pinks, and purples. The air is no longer cold. Saber looks around in shock.

"This must be…a reality marble!"

"At Alice's tea party, no one can remember their names. Not even Yamada or Suzuki. You won't be able to remember anybody's names. You'll see in a minute, mister."

"Nuh-uh. It goes like this: first you forget your name and then you forget who you are and then—The end! And you won't have to be a Master anymore!"

"Isn't it fun?!"

"All right, let's all play tag now. You're 'It', mister!"

"Are you ready? Ready, set, go!"

The two girls turn and run in further into the Arena as Saber and I give chase.

"This reality marble slowly erodes a person's existence by weakening their ego. How roundabout! We must pursue those children! We'll need to catch them if we want them to remove the reality marble! No matter how far they run, they'll be ours once we corner them into a dead end."

"There they are, Saber!"

We need to hurry and catch them. I can already feel myself getting more and weaker as we chase after them. We finally manage to corner them at a dead-end in one of the Arena's hallways. Saber steps forward as I catch my breath.

"Good. Stay where you are, child. I shall capture you now."

"I got caught…?"

"Wow, you're really fast, mister!"

"But, he probably can't remember his name anymore."

"You can't remember your name, can you, mister?"

My name? That's obvious, it's—I can't remember. I try digging through all of my memories but they feel hazy. Everything is slowly slipping away and my eyelids feel heavy. Who are these two girls, again? Who am I? I feel a sharp pain throughout my body as the woman beside me calls out to me.

"Rally yourself, Praetor! Do not let their wiles fool you!"

That voice…Saber, was it?

"You gotta catch me, or your body will go bye-bye next!"

"Catch me if you can, mister!"

The two girls vanish and appear far behind us before running out of sight.

"After them! Those children cannot be permitted to escape!"

I struggle to move my body to chase after them. Saber's voice managed to snap me out of whatever spell I was under, but I can feel it coming back. Every time we get close to catching them, they disappear and reappear further away from us. Adding to that, they keep taking shots at us as if we are too far away. We manage to corner them at another dead-end. Saber steps forward with her sword pointed at the two girls.

"Do not disappear on me again! I have finally got you!"

"Mister, why are you being so scary? Are you mad at me…?"

"Why are you mad? Uh-oh, is it because your body's going bye-bye?"

"What?!"

Another flash of pain runs through my body. I look down at my hands and the rest of my body. I'm beginning to fade in and out and I feel a numbness to my movements. Saber looks back at me in concern before turning back to the two girls. I can't see what face she's making, but the two seem scared of Saber.

"How wretched! If you children do not cease this ruthless play and restore my Master's body, I shall slay you!"

"I'm scared! Alyss, why are they so mad…?"

"I dunno, Alice. We were only playing."

The two disappear again and reappear behind us. Saber is absolutely furious.

"Gah! They escaped again! I no longer have any mercy for them. The next time I see them shall be the last. Praetor, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, let's keep going, Saber."

It doesn't take too long for us to catch up with them this time. Saber once again points her sword to the two girls as they are backed into another dead-end. The sharp tip is placed against the throat of the White Alice. As much as I want to tell Saber to back off, I can't even find the strength to stand.

"This is the end, little girl! Remove the reality marble!"

White Alice is trying hard to hold back, but it's obvious that she's scared as she starts crying.

"…Why are you so mad? I just wanted to play…"

"It's not safe, Alice. We'd better get away from them."

"I'm sorry, mister. I thought that you were like Alice…"

The two disappear once again, but it seems like they've left the Arena this time. Saber puts her sword away and clenches her fist in frustration.

"Hmph, my visage has been known to awe small creatures…We have no choice but to leave as well."

Okay, I've got the Return Crystal ready. Before I smash it, I notice something on the ground where those two girls were standing. I pick it up and throw the crystal to the ground. A flash of light fills my vision as we are brought back to the campus. Everything comes back to me as soon as we get back too. We head to our room to talk about what just happened in the Arena. Saber sits on her makeshift throne with her eyes closed and arms crossed.

"Who expected that our opponent would create a reality marble? But, our smallish opponent dropped something when she left the Arena. Praetor, you should investigate it first thing in the morning."

I nod my head weakly before falling asleep on the bed. What happened in the Arena still has me feeling off. Hopefully, it will go away in the morning. Before I completely fall asleep, I feel Saber climb into bed with me before wrapping her arms around my body. She whispers something that I can't hear ear everything goes dark.

**A/N:**

**Hey, Chapter 10 is done! I'm back! Sorry I was gone for a month. It was close to Christmas time and then New Years'. I also bought a lot of games during the Winter Sale. I got Soulcalibur VI, Devil May Cry V, the Ezio Collection, AC III Remastered, and BlazBlue: Centralfiction. Then I was grinding the Da Vinci event in F/GO. Also, a free 4-star summon ticket! I don't know who I want to summon; I'm leaning toward Suzuka Gozen because, you know, JK fox waifu and I was considering adding her to this story possibly. I don't know how I would do that, but I'm interested. CCC/Foxtail is its own thing and its also not even finished yet. I was also thinking a lot about the choice to come and whether I would choose Rin or Rani. On the one hand, it's Rin, but at the same time, there are some similarities that can be made between Rani and Hakuno. I don't know, I'm still on the fence, to be honest. I might not side with either of them or possibly both of them, who knows? I don't. ****The flow might be a bit off since it's been a while, but please bear with me. ****Also, I'm a little sick right now, but I'll still try and post new chapters. Anyway, thank you to everyone who likes this story and waited patiently. See you again soon.**


	11. Ghost in the Machine Part III

Chapter 11: Ghost in the Machine Part III

The next morning, I take out the note that Alice dropped in the Arena and see what it says. What is your name? There's nothing else written on the small piece of paper. Saber looks over my shoulder and reads the note as well.

"Praetor, it might mean something with the barrier, but I cannot guess why one would ask such a thing."

So, it's a clue about how to beat the reality marble? But it might be a trick by Alice to make me lower my guard. I don't want to think like that, but the past few experiences have me on edge for what other tricks those two have up their sleeve. Still, if it's true, all I need to do is remember my name.

"We should probably get a second opinion on this. Just to be safe."

Saber nods before sitting down in her makeshift throne. We've got some time to kill, so I decide to talk with Saber. Talking with Saber as she rests can be as brutal as a splash of water to the face, but just as refreshing. I open my mouth to speak but Saber cuts me off.

"Wait, Praetor. Our conversations too often focus on me. I wish to know more about you."

"You want to know more about me?"

"Umu. I am aware your memory remains lost, but I still wish to hear you speak your mind."

"Something about me…Like, what sort of person I liked?"

"If that is what you wish to speak about, then yes."

…Nothing comes to mind. I don't know what to say. My past, my values, my preferences—They're so unclear that I feel I'd be lying if I talked about them. I can remember having a father and a mother and that we used to live in this town. All generalities, but nothing specific. I'm sure Saber doesn't want to hear about such vague things. She's lived out a whole other life and I have nothing to share with her.

"Hmph, you cannot speak of that which is unclear? Even though I demand to know?"

I can't help but feel like I've disappointed her after hearing her sigh heavily.

"Then it cannot be helped. I will be magnanimous and forgive you, in light of your honesty. However, I am still unsatisfied. In place of your past, tell me what you will wish for."

Saber's voice is calm and steely. It's different from the playful voice she usually speaks with. Still, my wish for the Grail, huh. The reason why I am fighting to progress in the Holy Grail War. I haven't given much thought into what I would wish for.

"I don't have a wish."

Whatever the driving force the other Masters have is, I just don't have it. I'm not fighting for anything in particular; I fight to survive. That's not much of a wish. Leo, Dan, Rin, and all the other magi who entered the SERAPH are all on another level. They willingly put themselves into this tournament to obtain the Holy Grail for themselves. I'd be lying if I said I had some deeply held wish I wanted to be granted.

"…I see. Then, you must think upon the matter, for it will not simply cease to be relevant. You will need to know the answer one day. I am in no hurry, neither am I angry or disappointed."

Even though she says that I can tell that Saber is disappointed by the way she sighs. I wonder about the old me, the one from before I lost my memories. What would he have wished for?

"Praetor, I believed we have spent enough time resting. We should go and prepare for the Elimination Battle now."

I sigh and get ready to head out for the day. There are only three more days until the Elimination Battle. I quickly make my way upstairs and see Rani standing at her usual spot.

"Hello, Rani. I need your help. Is there a way to not forget your name?"

"A way to never forget your name? My professor would be able to etch it into your soul…Let me think…"

She closes her eyes, obviously deep in thought. I'm a little nervous about how serious she is taking this.

"Is it all right if I carve a seal into your body? Don't worry. The pain is only momentary. It's not enough to break your soul, so don't worry."

Carve? Break my soul? I think this is the part where I politely decline while I can.

"I don't think that's necessary, Rani. I'll find another way. Thank you for all your help."

"I see. I wish you luck in your endeavors. May the stars guide you."

That didn't seem like a bust, but I should consider all my options before I decide to do something drastic. I head upstairs to the roof to find Rin standing in the same spot she normally is, as always.

"Rin, can you help me? Is there a way of remembering things, like your name?"

"A way of not forgetting your name? So, information like that is starting to slip away from you?"

I explain the situation to Rin. I tell her about everything I have learned about my opponent and about the reality marble that covers the second floor of the Arena. Rin's face is a mix of irritation and worry.

"So, you want a way to recall your name in a reality marble designed to eradicate memories, right? Hold up a sec…Did you say 'reality marble'? That little brat's Servant actually created one?! To be able to affect the entire Arena for such a long period…Definitely suspicious. She isn't a Legendary Soul, but some kind of malicious hack…I wonder how long she'll last…"

"That's nice and all, but how do you know how to get rid of the reality marble?"

"Huh? Why don't you just jot down a memo somewhere? Like on your hand or something?"

I resist the urge to smack myself for such an obvious solution. Even if I forget what the word means, if I can remember to read it out loud, I should be fine, maybe.

"Sometimes the best solution is the simplest one. Leaving a memo is required to make a barrier. It seems the law of the playground applies here."

"Thank you for your help, Rin. I appreciate it."

"Why-why in the hell are you thanking me for something so trivial, you idiot?"

As expected, I am met with a volatile response. I know we may have to kill each other in the future, but I kind of wish we could get along better. Whatever the case I take out a pen and write down my name on the palm of my hand. There, I should be good to go now.

"It's what any normal child would do. Oh, I forgot that you—Sorry to bring that up. Good luck."

I nod before heading back downstairs toward the Arena. On the first floor, I see Ms. Fujimura waiting for me and give her the manga I acquired at her request.

"Thank you Hakuno, I shall dispose of this filthy thing as soon as possible. In the meantime, may I ask another favor from you, Hakuno?"

"Sure."

"Wonderful! I've heard that the second floor of the Arena has an abundance of ice. Would you be so kind as to grab some for me?"

"Okay, but why do you need ice, Ms. Fujimura?"

"Why? Well, let's just say it's for something that only an adult would understand. If you get some ice for me before the week is over, I'll give you another pretty decoration for your room."

As I turn to walk away from Ms. Fujimura, I see a flash of blue and black in the direction of the Chapel. I walk towards the Garden and sneak behind some shrubbery. Standing in front of the Chapel, both Alices are speaking to one another. The White Alice speaks first.

"Uh-oh! That man got mad."

"Why'd they get so mad? Maybe because they were scared of going away for good."

"But they just had to remember their name!"

"Uh-huh. But maybe no one can."

The two take off running after that and I decide to follow them to see if I can learn anything more. At least I've learned that the note was legit. All I have to do is remember my name. The two girls run out toward the Schoolyard and stop. Once again, the White Alice starts the conversation.

"How should we play with the mister?"

"If the forest goes away, we won't have anything to play with. And, the tea party should end now."

"No more tea party? That's sad!"

"It's sad. But we have to entertain them until it ends."

"Uh-huh, but how?"

"How about cutting their heads off?"

"That would hurt!"

"Uh-huh. It would hurt a lot! But that's okay. We'll find a new playmate."

"Then, yay! Alice is excited!"

"Yay! Me too, Alice!"

The two girls vanish in a flash of light after they are finished speaking.

"Praetor, I no longer sense their presence on campus. They are most likely waiting for us inside the Arena."

"Yeah, we should be ready for whatever trick they have up their sleeves next."

I can't help but rub my neck. I really don't want to get my head chopped off by those two. The first thing I need to do is go down to the Commissary and buy some warmer clothes. The second floor was freezingly cold before the reality marble went up, so it will probably be that way when it goes down. I manage to get the clothes easily enough. I put on a large winter coat and thicker shirt and pants before heading to the entrance to the Arena. I take off the glove on my hand to make sure that my name is still written down before Saber and I enter into the Arena. Once again, the discolored sky fills my vision and I can hear static in my head as the reality marble begins to affect me.

"Now, Praetor. Read aloud that nonsense you wrote on your hand."

"Hakuno Kishinami!"

The words that come out of my mouth sound foreign to me, but the atmosphere around us becomes far less threatening and dangerous. The sky shatters and everything returns to its original appearance.

"Hmph, the greatest obstacle has been cleared from our way. Let us make haste, Praetor!"

The two Alices appear in front of us in a flash of light.

"Uh-oh…The Nameless Forest is all gone."

"The Nameless Forest disappeared."

"I'm sad. Now we gotta come up with another game to play."

"It'll be okay, Alice. The clock will chime soon, and then we can play all we want!"

"Are you sure? Is it gonna be okay, broken?"

"It'll be okay, Alice. We gotta wait for now, but we can have lots more fun later!"

"You're right! We gotta save the bestest fun for later! Bye-bye for now, mister."

"Goodbye, mister"

The two girls smile widely before disappearing again. They really like to do that, don't they? Saber relaxes and puts a hand on her hip.

"Hmm, a Nameless Forest? That sounds like the name of a reality marble, and perhaps a clue."

Nameless Forest, huh. Not really much to go off of, but whatever helps is good, I guess. Anyway, we should probably get back to finding the Trigger before it's too late. We traverse deeper into the Arena and manage to get a better look at the castle that lies outside of the Arena's walls. Considering that this will be the stage for the Elimination Battle in three days, I want to get a look at it. The castle is much bigger now that I am standing in front of it. The tall walls appear to be sturdy and pristine looking.

"A castle made entirely out of ice. Though beautiful, I wonder what it is like to live inside. If I lived in such a place, I'd have to wear a bearskin cloak at all times "

"Does the cold bother you, Saber?"

"When I lived, I did not encounter much snow or ice. But do not worry, Praetor. If you require warmth, I will set my sword ablaze for you once more."

"Thank you, Saber."

Getting back to the task at hand. I manage to scoop up some Crushed Ice for Ms. Fujimura from an ice block that has been lodged into the Arena. Along the way, we see some more Wasp-type enemies and we encounter a new enemy type. It looks vaguely like a person hunched over and has long arms. For now, I'll refer to them as "Ghost" type enemies. I should probably ask someone and see if they have actual names for the different types of enemies. We finally manage to find the Trigger in one of the rooms after going up a long incline and another Mystic Code, the Imp's Belt. It's a Mystic Code that allows me to remove one of an enemy's status changes.

"That child is going to be in trouble. Although we have obtained a cipher key, we cannot ignore her."

I agree with Saber, but right now I am more focused on the sight that is in front of me. From our elevated position, I can see the entirety of the Arena floor and the Ice Castle. It's beautiful. If there wasn't the constant danger of fighting for my life hanging over my head, I could honestly say that I wouldn't mind seeing everything that the Moon Cell has to offer. Saber stands beside me and looks out toward the Arena as well.

"The Arena has become more complex. I wonder what the next floor will look like. Hmph, If I were of the Rider-class, we would be able to move much quicker."

"Heh, I wonder what kind of Rider you would be, Saber. I mean, Francis Drake had a ship. What would you have?"

"Umu. I have many talents, Praetor. I'll have you know that I was unmatched, whether atop a horse or riding in a chariot."

I've read that Legendary Souls can be summoned in different classes depending on what areas they specialize in. If Saber believes that she could be summoned as a Rider-class Servant, then she must be pretty good. Still, I think I've managed to learn a bit more about Saber from our conversations. There isn't much to do now, so Saber and I decide to head back to campus to rest up. Saber is quick to fall asleep, and I follow soon after her.

The next day, I go up to the rooftop to see Rin again. I have to thank her for her help in removing the reality marble. It was a simple idea, but writing my name on my hand did the trick and kept from disappearing into oblivion. Rin turns around with a smirk on her face.

"How did it go? Were you able to put Alice's reality marble back in her toy box?"

"All thanks to you, Rin. There was something else I wanted to ask you about. Do you know anything about Alice's abnormal magical strength?"

Considering how adept Rin is at using magic through machines, she might know more about Alice. Rin puts a hand to her chin and closes her eyes in thought.

"Abnormal? Hmm…Well, I couldn't sense any foul play coming from here on campus. Perhaps her Servant is skilled at building alternate worlds, but frankly, the magic needed…would overload the human brain and magic circuits. Still, Servants have to be fueled somehow…otherwise, they would just be very powerful objects at rest that tend to stay at rest."

"If that's true, then Alice must not be human. Leo said that the data of dead people in the SERAPH manifest like ghosts."

"A dead person's data? There are no ghosts in the Moon Cell apart from those recorded on Earth. Human's don't die here, so only the only virtual ghosts are echoes of angry hackers, etched into electrons. Isn't it obvious? People aren't really alive here, so why would their ghosts be here?"

So, there aren't people here, either living or dead. Just magi who've bonded their magic circuits to the virtual world and hacked in, like Rin.

"Even if Masters die, this isn't the place their spirits will haunt. The Moon Cell deletes the data of defeated Masters and is thorough enough not to permit loose data. If data from any deceased person incorporates, it is immediately dismantled by the system. Anyway, the point is this: ghosts can't be created here. But someone who qualifies as 'previously deceased' might be permitted by the Moon Cell."

A ghost…Someone who's been dead since the very beginning… That's what she's talking about.

"All right, no more chit-chat. We're enemies, don't forget it!"

And with that, Rin turns away from me. I turn and head back downstairs to my room. I think about what Rin told me. I think about what Alice told me on the first day. A cyber ghost…If that's the case, then in the real world, Alice is already…

"Praetor…It's not a very happy thought, is it? But if it's true, that child only exists as a soul. What are your thoughts about asking more about this subject at the Chapel? If those sisters are knowledgeable enough to perform Alterations of the Soul, they may know about this."

The Chapel, huh? Those two sisters don't seem like they're the "helping" type. Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt to ask anyway. They might know something that can help me. I quickly make my way downstairs and head over to the Chapel. As always, the Aozaki sisters are sitting in their usual places. Aoko notices me enter and sits up in her chair.

"Hey, Hakuno. You here for another Alteration?"

"No."

Touko sits up in her chair now. A look of irritation flashed across her face.

"You're not here for an Alteration? Then what are you here for? To take advantage of our free time?"

I ask her if she knows anything about the two Alices and ghosts, telling her everything that I know so far.

"Ghosts? Well, isn't that quaint? What we perform on Servants, through their Masters, is a mod to their magic circuits. We sculpt your spiritual bodies in a way that maximizes the flow of energy from Master to Servant. I've seen those Alice girls plenty. It's not for me to say whether they're twins, but…From what I can see, the girl is what people call a 'ghost'. If she is indeed a cyber ghost, she'd have no bodily limitations to her magic output. Without a brain to burn out, she would have no limits. Even if her soul started to break apart, she would continue to spew magic until it all burnt out. Still, for a ghost to utilize so much magic, she'd need excellent compatibility with her Servant. Do you know her Servant's Class?"

"Not really."

"Look, this Servant used a large-scale reality marble, right? A reality marble is a highly advanced thaumaturgy. So, if you think about it, a Caster makes a lot of sense. I'm sure there's more to the story, though."

I see. So that red giant wasn't Alice's Servant after all. That must mean…one of those two is the Servant in disguise. I'm sure I don't know the whole story, but there's no denying that Alice is…special.

"Are you done asking questions? Then I'll get back to work. It may not look like it, but I'm busy. Hmph. What I wouldn't give for a nice, talented underling who can make a good pot of coffee."

Touko turns back to her papers and I can tell that she is no longer interested in talking. I leave the Chapel and immediately run into the two Alices.

"Uh-oh, it's the mister!"

"I don't want anything bad to happen to us again. C'mon Alice, let's run away!"

"Uh-huh, let's run away now."

"Where should we go?"

"I want to read a story, Alyss."

"I want to, too! Let's read a story, Alice."

The two disappear once again. I guess they are running away from me, or more likely, from Saber. I want to go and find Alice. I want to ask her about cyber ghosts. She said she wanted to read a story, so she must've gone to the Library. I make my way through the school building and head upstairs to the second floor. When I open the door to the library, I am greeted by the two Alices carrying on another conversation.

"Did the White Rabbit come this way?"

"Did we mistake it for the March Hare?"

"You're a March Hare."

"That's mean!"

"And what are you gonna do after you catch the White Rabbit?"

"Off with its head!"

"Uh-oh! Run, bunny!"

"Guess what? The White Rabbit's here."

"Where? How do you know?"

"Cuz it's been staring at us."

"Why is it staring? Why won't he come out and play?"

"No, no. We have to play later."

"You're right. We'll see you later. We're looking forward to playing with you."

The moment I blink, they are gone. Whatever the case is with Alice, they're really amazing spirit hackers. Shinji would be nothing in comparison. There one second and gone the next. Thee system rules don't apply to them at all. They really are like ghosts. I don't know how I'm supposed to beat them. Something on the floor catches my eye. It's another note. Those two must have dropped it. I pick it up and see what it says, but the words on the page are gibberish. Maybe I should ask Touko again? It might be some sort of code. Making my way back to the Chapel, I approach Touko once more.

"Oh, it's you again. I'm busy now. Keep your questions short."

"Here. Do you know what this is?"

"Hmm? Again, with the quaint things. This is mirror writing. Anyone can read this with the aid of a mirror. And don't ask me for one, find it yourself."

I thank Touko for her help and make my way back to the school building. There are mirrors inside of the bathroom that I can use. I enter and hold up the note to the mirror. Now I can read it.

"And in uffish thought, he stood, Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, whiffled through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came! One, two! One, two! The Vorpal Blade went crack! He left it dead and with its head, He went galumphing back."

A monster that gets decapitated with the Vorpal Blade…Jabberwock? Is that the name of her "friend" from before? I should probably head back over to the Library to learn more about this Jabberwock. I find a description of the Jabberwock on one of the bookshelves. The Jabberwock is the titular monster of the poem "Jabberwock" by Lewis Carroll. The poem appeared in "Through the Looking Glass". The poem portrays a nameless hero's quest to slay the fearsome beast.

"Oh, hello, mister! Whatcha reading?"

A chill runs down my spine as Alice's voice comes from behind me. She must have warped in. I slowly turn around to face her.

"Alice used to like books with bunnies and mice, too."

"Alice, is your Servant's name 'Jabberwock'?"

"Huh? The Jabberwock isn't a Servant. The Jabberwock is my—"

A flash of light and the Black Alice appears.

"Shh, Alice! It's a no-no to talk about that!"

"Huh?"

"We have to go bye-bye now. We might wake up from the dream if we talk too much."

"Yep! See you later, mister!"

And with that, they're gone. Still, since we've eliminated Jabberwock as Alice's Servant then that means her servant is…

"Black-clad Alice. What's more, that means Servant Alice is a Caster."

Saber finishes my thought for me. Like I suspected from the beginning, they're not twins, but a Servant copying the image of her Master. There's still a lot of unknowns, but I feel like we're getting closer to the truth. Well, there isn't much else to do today, so Saber and I entered the Arena and defeated some more enemies to do an Alteration later.

The next day, I try and track down Alice so I can talk with her. Today is the last day before the Elimination Battle. I search all over campus for Alice. I run into Rani, who greets me before striking up a conversation.

"Hello, Hakuno. Tomorrow is the Elimination Battle. Are you prepared?"

"Yes. At least I think so. What about you, Rani?"

"Myself? I have the machinations in place to win. My victory is assured by nature. That's all there is."

She bows before continuing on her way. She must be confident that she can defeat her opponent. Part of me wishes that I had that confidence, but then I remember who my opponent is and my stomach sinks a little bit at the thought of fighting Alice tomorrow. I continue my search for Alice, but I don't find her in the Library, the Garden, the Chapel, or the Schoolyard. I run into Ms. Fujimura and give her the Crushed Ice and she gives me another decoration for my room, an incense burner. I thank her before making my way toward the Arena. If I can't find her on campus, then maybe I can find Alice in the Arena. As I turn past the corner to where the Arena door is, I feel something run into me. It's Alice. I have to ask her something, but who knows if she'll even answer me.

"Hi there, mister. I-is something wrong? You look all scowly."

"I have to ask you something, Alice. Does your mirror—"

"…I am Alice through the looking glass. I am the stories she reads."

As expected, Caster appears before Alice can speak. What she says catches me by surprise, though. She is not Alice. She is Alyss, the Servant of the girl called Alice. Caster walks forward and steps between me and Alice.

"I am the friend that Alice wished for, and the Holy Grail granted that wish."

"The Jabberwock is also my friend."

"Yes. But it is not a Servant. Alice created it."

"That Alice is my Servant."

"Alyss is Alice."

"Alice is Alyss."

This is starting to get disorienting. I'm not even sure which one I am talking to anymore. Touko did say that Alice had excellent compatibility with her Servant after all. The two of them are mirror images of each other. Alice's dreams take shape in the mirror world. Story dreams, where her Servant is the protagonist. So, her Servant is the protagonist of her stories, or rather, a fanciful character turned into a warrior. The girl smiles up at me unfazed by any of this.

"So then, see you tomorrow, mister. We'll play the best games together."

"Ooh, I can't wait!"

The two Alices waltz off hand in hand with smiles on their faces. Do I have what it takes to defeat her? If I don't then I'll disappear into oblivion for real this time. The Arena door is before me right now, but I don't enter it. I've done all that I can to become stronger for the Elimination Battle. I want to take some time and prepare myself for tomorrow. As the day turns into night, Saber and I sit quietly in our room before she speaks up.

"…Well now, we've come to learn the identity of that child before the Elimination Battle. She may be dead, but any sort of sympathy would be absurd, okay? She is an opponent you must fight."

"…I know, Saber…"

I know that, but still…

**A/N:**

**Hey everyone, Chapter 11 is done. How are you all doing? I'm alright. Sorry that this chapter is kind of late. I bought Astral Chain for the Switch and beat it in two days. It was really fun and cool. I've also been doing the Valentine event in F/GO. I got all of the Valentine CEs and I managed to summon Semiramis with a ticket.**

**Anyway, on to the chapter. The third round is just a weird trip throughout. I'll admit that I got confused as to which Alice was which as I was proofreading this chapter. Also, I think this round is weird because Hakuno just seems way more clueless compared to the previous chapters. Now, I'm not sure about the logistics of memory loss as it works in fiction, but I find it odd that Hakuno and their Servant jump to the conclusion that Jabberwock is Alice's Servant rather than the second girl, who looks exactly like the Master they are facing. It just doesn't make any sense to me. Funny thing that I realized when I was planning the Elimination Battle in my head for the next chapter; I've never actually seen what Nursery Rhyme's NP is in this game. I know that it's different from F/GO, but I always kill her before she uses it. Apparently, it's supposed to restart the battle from Turn 1; that's gonna be fun to write about in the next chapter.**

**You know, I've never really taken the time to appreciate how good Fate/Extra looks even now. The Chimeric Lunar Seas are really beautiful and unique. That castle on the third floor is cool for what is essentially a background asset for a ringed arena that you don't leave. My favorite is a tie between the third and seventh Arenas. That's pretty much it, not much else to talk about.**

**Shoutout to Cloud Link Zero, who is the reason I started writing this story. I was inspired to write something while I was waiting for Extella/ Grand Order to be updated. As far as I know, they are one of the few people to write a Male Hakuno story, besides CosmicSky and the two or three stories that have Hakuno in them. Check that story out if you haven't; it's really good and has a lot of ideas incorporated that make it really interesting. Even if it never does get updated, just the idea of a post-Extella Link Hakuno in F/GO world is enough for me. **

**Well, Thanks for reading. See you all again, soon.**


	12. Ghost in the Machine Part IV

Chapter 12: Ghost in the Machine Part IV

The first thing that comes to me as I wake up is that it's the day of the Elimination Battle. It's hard to believe that it's been three weeks already since I entered the Holy Grail War. My opponent this time is Alice, a little girl. The actual situation is a bit more complicated than that, but I just can't get the thought out of my mind.

"Praetor, perhaps we should go over the information we have gathered before the Elimination Battle?"

Saber looks at me, concerned but focused. I guess it's a good thing that one of us is in the right mindset.

Right, the first thing that we discovered is about Alice's "friend". That giant monstrosity was nearly invincible if not for the Vorpal Blade that we acquired. We thought that is was a Berserker Servant at first, but after defeating it, both Alices appeared in front of us. We later found out that it was a creature named "Jabberwocky" that Alice's Servant could summon. The next ability that she displayed was the ability to create a reality marble. It blanketed the entire second floor of the Arena and it would've erased me from existence. If I hadn't gotten lucky and learned how to break it, then I'd be a goner. In any case, if we were to assume that Jabberwocky was Alice's Servant, then that would mean there would be two Masters. So, we concluded that one of the Alices was the Servant, and we were right. Touko Aozaki pointed out that a Berserker wouldn't be able to create a reality marble, but a Caster Servant would.

The Black Alice, Caster, seems to be deeply connected to Alice's essence. Caster can't exist without Alice and Alice can't live without her Servant. Alice already told me, that she was dead from the beginning of the Holy Grail War and since long before it. She's forever stuck inside of a dream, only wanting to grant her final wish. Caster is the catalyst through which Alice's dreams can become a reality rather than a legendary hero or a famous figure from history. I'm not sure how knowing this helps us, but it's better than nothing.

Before we go to the Coliseum, we head toward the Chapel to do an Alteration beforehand. Looking at my portable terminal, I can see a new skill added to Saber's arsenal. Invictus Spiritus: Thrice, Though I Welcome the Setting Sun It's a skill that will revive Saber if she falls in battle, up to three times. Hopefully, we won't have to use it. Well, there's no point in delaying the inevitable.

"Saber, let's go."

"Umu. We should depart toward the battlefield, Praetor. There, you will find the answer to your turmoil."

With that, we make our way toward the Coliseum's entrance once again. Father Kotomine gives a small smile before letting us through to the Coliseum. The darkness of the elevator is as unsettling as always, but this time it's even more so with the humming coming from beyond the glass in front of us. The lights turn on and Alice and her Servant and standing hand-in-hand smiling at us before turning to each other.

"Yay! Playtime again!"

"What do you want to play today? Hide and seek? Tag? Or maybe we'll play 'house'?"

I wouldn't mind playing "house", I've already seen what their version of tag and hide and seek looks like.

"Alice wants to play tag! I'm gonna chase the mister!"

"Uh-huh. When somebody runs like a bunny, I wanna chase them down.

"It'd be sad if the mister got away."

"We need to run fast, fast so the mister won't ever get away."

"Alice loves running."

"Alice couldn't run for a long time."

"Alice will run and run…but can we catch the mister?"

"We can! We can! And when we do, off with his head!"

"Aren't you gonna be scared to cut off his head?"

"Sometimes even little girls have to be scary."

"Then we gotta make the mister really scared of us."

"Uh-huh. Let's make the mister so scared of us that he cries a pond."

The two carry on with a conversation that is more than a little bit disturbing. I open my mouth to say something in response, only to be met with hostility from Alice.

"Don't get in the way. I'm not talking to you right now, mister."

"Yup. Alyss is talking to Alice right now."

"That's right! Alice only talks to Alyss. I thought you were the same as us. The exact same as us! I thought Alice wasn't going to be lonely anymore! If you don't like me, then I don't need you, mister!"

"Alyss is the only one Alice needs. She's the only Alyss for Alice."

"You're not my Alyss, mister. I don't' need you anymore, mister."

"You're in the way now."

I pause to think about what I've just heard. The person I've been struggling to come to terms with fighting has clearly stated her intent to kill me. I don't know what to say. Saber scoffs and puts a hand on her hip.

"What big girls, deciding matters on their own! I always enjoy watching their harmonious accord. I cannot help but feel sorry for them. Their brilliance is but the sparkle of dreams escaping a corpse."

Saber glances at me, trying to determine where I stand now after everything that has just happened. I close my eyes and look inside myself before looking to Saber and nodding. I'm going to defeat Alice. If I don't, then she'll kill me without any remorse. Saber looks a little pleased with my decision as Alice speaks up once again.

"…But if you want to play with us, then just this one time, I'll play with you, mister."

"You're so nice, Alice. Then, Alyss will play with the mister, too."

"Let's have lots of fun! Don't run away, okay?"

"I don't want to play with you."

My voice came out colder and more mechanical than I meant for it to be. After hearing their words from before, I can't help but feel a little angry.

"Eh…? Don't be so mean, mister."

Are you angry, mister? Is it because you have a tummy ache?"

"If tummy aches make people angry, what makes people happy?"

"Eating sweets! We should eat lots of sweets and have lots of fun."

"Yay! Alyss will have lots of fun with Alice! Play, play! Fun, fun, fun!"

"You can join us today, mister. Fun, fun, fun! I'm super happy."

The elevator comes to a halt, signaling that we have arrived. The two Alices join hands and race out of the elevator door. Saber summons her sword as I walk past her silently. She opens her mouth to speak, but she shakes her head and follows me outside. The stage for the Coliseum this time if the courtyard in front of the ice castle from before. The courtyard is a wide circular area enclosed by a small fence that is broken in some places. Looking closely, I can see a shimmer in the around along the edge of the courtyard. It doesn't seem like we'll be able to get anywhere else and there doesn't to be any sort of cover or terrain for us to use. The two Alice begin to circle us in opposite directions while smiling and swinging their arms as they walk.

"Alice wants to thank you for playing lots and lots this week. Alice had so much fun!"

"Uh-huh, we haven't had so much fun in a long, long time. Alyss is happy and says thank you too!"

"But, we're all done playing with you now, mister. Alice wants to play with just Alyss now."

"I don't need you anymore, mister. I'm gonna miss you, but it's time to say bye-bye."

"Um…what do we say next?"

"You forgot already? It goes like this: 'Now good Tom Thumb your work is done, The tale is at its end. May dreams of dark embrace your heart Night's curtain does descend. With great mirth I'll cut off your head; Life from your body rend.'."

Saber doesn't look the least bit amused by their show.

"Umu. All tales must end. Praetor, you're a sweet person. I know you've grown attached to these girls somewhat, but…Life rests on the precipice of death. Shall I make that fatal tension more exquisite?"

As Saber says this, the floor beneath us rumbles as three large magic circles surround us. Sensing danger, I drop to the floor, narrowly avoiding the giant red fist aimed at the back of my head. Saber blocks another attack from one of the magic circles in front of us as our attackers come into view. It's the Jabberwocky, three of them to be exact. They were slightly smaller than the one from before, only roughly the same height and build as me, even with their large appendages.

"Slash!"

My brain kicks into survival mode as I quickly pull out the Vorpal Blade and slice the arm of the Jabberwocky that tried to attack me. Its outstretched arm was instantly severed by its natural enemy and was sent flying off to the side. The Jabberwocky held its arm in pain as all three of them flinched at the sight of the emerald blade in my hand. Wasting no time, Saber jumps into action gracefully dancing around me as she slices the head off of the Jabberwocky that is already injured. Its head goes flying as it disappears into a red mist. Thankfully, I only need to touch them once with the sword to get rid of their invulnerability.

Seeing their comrade fall, the other two Jabberwocky charges at us again. I duck behind Saber as she blocks the two monsters' fists with her blade. Taking out Rider's pistol I shoot one in the legs, making it drop to its knees as I cut into it with the Vorpal Blade. Its torso splits open on its side as Saber knocks away the other one before uses her sword to slice through the open wound, bisecting the second Jabberwocky. The third Jabberwocky rushes at us in a blind rage, swinging wildly as Saber picks me up and jumps away.

"Let the curtain fall, Rosa Ichthys!"

A red blade of light flies from the tip of Saber's blade before striking the Jabberwocky and exploding into flames. The Jabberwocky flinches from the attack but presses on with its attack as it barrels toward us.

"Stun! Slash!"

Using a combination of the Exorcist Blade and the Vorpal Blade I manage to connect with the Jabberwocky's flesh, removing its invulnerability before Saber finishes it off.

"Uh-oh. What do we do Alyss? All of our 'friends' are gone now."

"Uh-huh. Mister has the Vorpal Blade, so Jabberwocky can't beat them anymore."

"I'm sorry, Alyss. I told mister about the Vorpal Blade before."

"It's okay, Alice. Wonderland is full of friends for us to play with. So, let's call all of our friends to play with us!"

"Okay, Alyss!"

While Saber and I are regaining our bearings, the two Alices join hands once again and begin to create more magic circles on the ground.

"Praetor, those two seem to be quite the troublesome pair. We must stop them before they overwhelm us with numbers."

I nod before raising my pistol and firing at the two girls. The bullet whizzes in between them, causing them to jump away from each other in surprise.

"Your mean, mister! Dragon Skillet!"

On the ground beneath me, a magic circle appeared. I practically throw myself to the ground as I roll away from the pillar of fire that erupted.

"Uh-oh, mister is really good at running away! Get him, Alyss!"

"Okay, Alice! Frenzied March Hare!"

I dove out of the way again as a blast of wind was targeted at me.

"Praetor?!"

"Saber, I'm fine! Go get them!"

Hearing my command, Saber rushed forward with her blade to slice through the much smaller Caster. In a surprising display of strength and dexterity, Caster caught Saber's sword between her hands and redirected her attack away before punching her away.

"Ugh. Such amazing strength for such a small girl."

"Uh-oh Alyss, I'll help you!"

Another Jabberwocky appeared in front of Caster and the two of them began to attack Saber together. Not wasting any time, I run toward them while taking shots with my pistol. Caster hid behind the Jabberwocky, who was only slightly hindered as the bullets bounced off its flesh. Seeing an opportunity, Saber disengaged before firing another Rosa Ichthys at Alice. Caster teleported to Alice's side to protect her leaving the Jabberwocky without any help as Saber and I made short work of it.

"Saber lay into them before they can get a chance to breathe!"

"Umu! Fountain of the Blazing Saint, Très Fontaine Ardent!"

A giant ball of fire erupted from Saber's blade and threatened to engulf both Alice and her Servant. Caster jumped in front of Alice and put up a strong barrier to block the fireball, not seeing Saber as she dashed forward using the attack as a cover. The moment the flames were dispersed by the barrier, Saber attacked from Caser's blindside, scoring a clean cut across her small body.

"Alyss! Hold on, I'll—Ah!"

Alice, who must've been attempting to heal her Servant, was stopped short by a shot from the pistol in my hand. The whole world seemed to move slowly at that moment. The look of horror and pain as Alice watched Caster get struck down by Saber's final strike was haunting. It was the look of someone who had her dreams shattered in a single moment. Caster's body fell away as the firewall separated us from the two girls.

Alice ran toward Caster in a daze, tripping over herself after the pain from her wound finally caught up to her. Desperately, she crawled closer to the other Alice as they both began to disappear. The two held each other as both Alices gave a look of confusion at the situation.

"Huh…We're disappearing…? Oh… It's over already?"

"…Why?"

"Alice was alone for so long. Nobody noticed me. I had no home and I was sad for a long, long time."

"Then Alice found Alyss to belong to. And we were so happy. We even had a home. That was all we needed. Forever and ever, just like this. That was all we needed. Why does it gotta end? Why did they take our happiness away? Why…?"

"Shh…It's okay. Alice…already knew that everything would go bye-bye. I don't remember very well, but I am probably already dead. My body isn't in that hospital anymore. Alice is like a box with nothing inside of it. There wasn't ever anything there since the beginning. Yep, even back in the hospital, there was no Alice left in Alice. No one noticed Alice. I was alone. It hurt. No one treated Alice like a person. It was the same after Alice came to Wonderland too. Alice was so, so alone. That's why I know that my home here and my Alyss will all go far away soon…But…mister…You cared about Alice, didn't you?"

The girl who is letting all of her heart out addresses me. Her breath is growing softer as she struggles to stay as long as she can. I answer her honestly.

"Of course, I care, Alice. I've thought about you since the beginning. If I should beat you, and how I would live with myself after. I'm still thinking about it, even now."

"Uh-huh. You always paid attention to Alice, mister. It's because you're like Alice, mister. Except you still have a real place to go home to somewhere…Thank you, Alyss. For being my friend. For always, always being with me. And thank you, mister…For seeing Alice. For playing with Alice. I really…wanted to play a little more, but…Bye-bye."

With her last words, Alice fades away and she's gone. The Servant who had taken Alice's appearance and shared her existence was alone on the other side of the firewall.

"…I am a reflection. This time I was Alice in the looking glass. Even if I am summoned in the next War, I won't be the Alice I am now. I am always someone's fanciful creation. The real Alyss is a mystery. But, being Alice's Servant made me happy…"

As she fades away, I can see the tears falling from her face.

"Why…am I crying…? When I know…that even if I cry…I'll never be the real thing.."

The firewall disappears as it confirms Alice and Caster's deletion. I feel sick. All of the bluster I had before has disappeared and in its place is a newfound sense of disgust and sadness. The elevator door opens to return us to campus. A shape catches my attention as Saber and I walk toward the elevator. It's a small length of black cloth. It's the ribbon from Caster's dress; it must've fallen off in the battle. I slowly walk over and gently pick up the ribbon before joining Saber in the elevator. Thankfully, Saber chooses not to comment as head back to campus, choosing to make herself unseen for the time being.

When the doors of the elevator open and I step outside, I am met with the appearance of Leo. He speaks to me in his usual manner, though there is a sense of care in it.

"You are lamenting over the death of your opponent. The loss of life is a sad affair. Especially if it's a consequence of the ruthlessness of war."

"Don't you mean 'pointlessness'?"

'Point taken. However, you fight because you have no other choice. You either kill or die. There is no mercy to be found in war. And the sadness of causing death is still there. But humanity dreams of the Holy Grail's power. They entrust their hopes to a higher power. They do this because they know they aren't capable of doing what is best for all…More so than death, this fact is what saddens me the most."

"I see. People who can't save themselves and us who are already damned, huh? And I suppose that you are supposed to be some sort of savior?"

"Wait before you pass judgment. I was born and raised to be king of the world. I'll remember your grief and her pain so that one day none will have to die for nothing. I have joined this battle to end the world's cycle of suffering and deprivation. Once control is restored, I can put an end to the conflicts brought on by scarcity and want. Isn't that what you desire? For your grief and her death to have meaning? In a perfect society, all people must be equal. To save the world. There must be equilibrium."

His ideas are poisonous too, but he doesn't seem to realize that for himself. He speaks about equality but states that he is a king. Still, a small part of me can't ignore what he says. I can't say whether he's right or wrong, but I feel better after hearing him talk so confidently about his goals. A new voice cuts into our conversation; it's Rin. The hatred in her voice is as subtle as the animosity on her face.

"What a way to comfort someone. This person's totally clueless; being bombastic helps nothing. I overheard your little spiel. It's what I expect from the plutocratic Harwey family."

"I care about all. I wish nothing more than to see a world where everyone has their place."

"And of course, that place is under your rule, with you deciding who lives and who dies, correct? Your world is a place where you alone decide whether a child is to be fed or left to starve. Where a person's entire life is dictated by the whims of the Harwey family's desires. However, you are not a god. If you want to live as you do now forever, go ahead. I don't care. But for me, I cannot and will not accept things as they currently are now. If you wish to build a country dominated by 'saints', fine. Just leave humanity out of it."

"So, my information about you being a potential insurgent was correct after all, Miss Tohsaka. You assume I don't understand your position and in that, you're wrong. However, you need to realize the efficient distribution of resources depends on proper management. I can assure you that my family has no plans to stockpile goods for financial gain. Once you see how we rule, you will understand our grand design for the well-being of humanity."

"I'm aware of the Harwey plan for prosperity. Everyone in their place, with no place for dissent. A paradise based on stasis and class immobility. Stability at the expense of hope and joy. A world where people don't live, only merely exist. I mock anyone who would choose that path. Living as merely one of the flock doesn't appeal to me."

"Miss Tohsaka, that is because you have an inherent strength that the masses lack. Perhaps it is good to feel that you're in a fight to preserve your very existence. However, would you wish for all of mankind to suddenly be given the same strength?"

"Um…I mean…that is to say…"

"Of course, you wouldn't. You are all too aware of your selfishness and pride. Because of that, you could not share your pain with those without the strength to bear it."

"I could, and would! I'm not as softhearted as you make me out to be."

"Is that so? You will always help those in need. Your compassion will lead to your defeat."

"What did you say…?"

"Joy is ephemeral. To save humanity, you must first be willing to let them die. The world needs a strong leader, Miss Tohsaka. And once I gain the power of the Holy Grail, I will be the one true king and my virtue will illuminate the darkness that engulfs the world. The European plutocrats control 30% of the world and none have voiced their discontent Opposition to our rule comes from outside the farm, to expand on your analogy a little. In short, either join the flock or be slaughtered. Our current view is that the populations of the Asian region are…expendable. Of course, we have plans to integrate the region should they choose to support our aims."

"To think that we agree on something. Okay, I perfectly understand now."

"What exactly do you understand?"

"That I was right in entering the Holy Grail War this time around! So, Leonard Bistario Harwey, heir apparent to the head of the plutocratic Harwey family…I swear to you that I will crush your delusions of genocide and despotic rule."

"To be clear: You intend to kill me?"

"Since I seriously doubt that anything short of taking your life would stop you, yes."

"…I see. I have faith that someone of your intellect will understand one day. Or maybe you already do?"

"…Talk about stubborn. I can't fault your dedication to your megalomaniacal delusions, though."

Having said their pieces, the two of them walk away, leaving me alone. Leo's plans and Rin's determination are both heavy. Both have decided on what they must do to benefit humanity. I will find a reason to keep going. II need to have a reason for why I am doing al this. Even a bad one is alright, as long as I don't end up having regrets about fighting for.

It's still morning outside. Maybe I should take a walk and clear my head for a bit. The hallways are disturbingly empty. Elimination Battles occur once a week so, it's not unlikely that they are taking place right now at the same time. Who knows how many people will be left after this round? I'm sure that Julius is still out there lurking in the shadows, eliminating Masters to pave Leo's path to victory. Walking upstairs to the second floor I come across a tense scene. Rin and Rani glance at one another before walking past each other. Looking at the bulletin board I can see the list with the matchups for the third round. I wasn't even aware that the two of them were facing each other in the third round until now. That means that one of those girls will die. A voice cuts through the silence of the hallway. It's Julius. Thankfully, he seems to be ignoring my presence as he walks up to the bulletin board and mutters to himself.

"…Rin Tohsaka and Rani Atlasia VIII are equally powerful. I can only gain from one taking the other out. Neither side will hold back in the battle. If I could watch the fight I could learn quite a bit."

As he walks away, leaving me to myself, I can't help but think about the match between Rin and Rani. Both of them have helped me in some way so I could get here, and now they are both fighting each other until only one is left standing. I wonder who will win?

**A/N:**

**Hello, everyone! Chapter 12 is done! I'm not dead, I've just been very lazy. Anyway, on to the chapter. I feel like this chapter is pretty short even though it's roughly the same number of words as the other chapters. Maybe it's the content. A huge chunk of it is a philosophical debate. Also, never realized how crazy Leo was until I re-watched this scene knowing what I know now. He really didn't deserve to be king, so I guess it's a good thing that he loses to Hakuno.**

**The fight with Alice and Caster (Alyss). Not much to say about this one. I tried hard to make the fight both longer than the game and shorter than what I had originally planned to do. The Caster fight in the game is only one round long if you know what you are doing and I'm also over-leveled. The original plan involved Hakuno and Saber chasing Alice and Caster through the castle while fighting through hordes of summoned enemies, but that felt too long and it would've been kind of repetitive. So, I settled for a one v. one in a confined space. Eh, I don't know. Caster and Assassin are reportedly the worst Class to summon into in the Holy Grail War (unless you get like a demigod or someone from the age of Myth).**

**I'll probably post a follow-up chapter after deciding who I like better. Rin or Rani? I'll admit I've never done the Rani route and for this story, the fourth-round opponent is someone else entirely, so it won't matter who I pick. It's not even about the relationship either since this story is supposed to be a Nero-centric route anyway. Maybe I should…I don't know. I'll figure it out. Also, I guess there's an extra day or something in the game because there are two transitions two nights before getting to the event where you have to choose which one to save. It's kind of weird because it puts the whole week by week timeline out of whack so it's still the same day (Round 3/Day 7) for Hakuno in this story.**

**Speaking of which: how should I translate Caster's phrase? I know that "Goshujin-sama" is the same meaning as "Master" in English. Should I just leave that? Or should I do what Fate/Extella did and translate it to "My Husband"? Or maybe "My Lord"? Please let me know if you prefer one over the other.**


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